mmmmMmmmmmmmiMmmmmmmmmmmimmsi 

THE WOODWORKER SERIES 



WOODWORK 
JOINTS 



WOODWORK JOINTS 



THE WOODWORKER SERIES 

CARPENTRY FOR BEGINNERS 
POLISHING AND STAINING 
WOODWORK JOINTS 
FRETWORK 



The Woodworker Series 

WOODWORK 
" JOINTS 

HOW THEY ARE SET OUT, HOW MADE AND 
W^HERE USED; WITH FOUR HUNDRED AND 
THIRTY ILLUSTRATIONS AND A COMPLETE 
INDEX OF ELEVEN HUNDRED REFERENCES 



W iXAueoy^ dvxv 



^WUYVl 




PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 






^3l 



PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 

AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 

PHILADELPHIA, V. 8. A. 



^^-^^//7 



*i 

e 

<2 FOREWORD 

oilTT^HE principal aim of this Volume is to provide the 
A woodworker with full information as to the uses, 
and clear practical directions as to the making, of 
every joint he may at any time be likely to encounter. 
Those of us whose occupation or recreation is wood- 
working are familiar with numerous joints which we 
make and use in our own way. It is possible, however, 
that there are many which we do not make well, not 
because we lack skill or care, but because we are 
unfamiliar with some simple rule which governs either 
the setting out or the method of using the tool ; whilst 
probably there are many others which might suit our 
purpose better, but which we neglect because their 
existence has never occurred to us. 

To be successful in woodwork construction the 
possession of two secrets is essential — to know the 
right joint to use, and to know how to make that 
joint in the right way. The woodwork structure or 
the piece of cabinet-work that endures is the one on 
which skilful hands have combined to carry out what 
the constructive mind planned. And it is just here 
that the present Volume will help, not alone the 
beginner who wishes preliminary instruction, but also 
the expert who desires guidance over ground hitherto 
unexplored by him. 

The Table of Contents — and more particularly the 
exhaustive Index at the end of Volume — will show 
that practically every joint in cabinet-work and 
ordinary joinery is dealt with. In the case of the 
Bridle Joint, the Halved Joint, the Mortise and Tenon 



FOREWORD 

Joint, and the Dovetail Joint, the actual tool opera- 
tions — setting out, gauging, marking, sawing, chisel- 
ling, paring, etc. — are fully explained ; and the fact 
that nearly sixty illustrations are devoted to the 
subject of Dovetailing is but one indication cf the 
care which has been taken in making the directions 
clear and complete. As the methods of working are 
almost similar in the case of other joints, it has not 
of course been deemed necessary to repeat these 
detailed instructions in every chapter. 

In the preparation of the Volume the Publishers 
have secured the services of Mr. William Fairham, 
by whom most of the chapters have been written 
and illustrated. Although intended for the practical 
man, and not professing to be a graded course of 
" educational woodwork," the Volume is one which 
Manual Training Instructors will find of the greatest 
value in conducting woodwork classes. No book 
hitherto published contains such a variety of illustra- 
tions of joints, almost all of which will form suitable 
exercises of practical educational importance in a 
Manual Training course. 

In conjunction with the other Volumes in The 
Woodworker Series {" Details of Cabinet Construction," 
" Staining and Polishing," etc.), this Volume, it is 
hoped, will 'leave the woodworker in possession of a 
store of information which, associated with his own 
practical knowledge and skilled experience, will enable 
him — if he so pleases — to reach to the highest and 
most advanced branches of his craft. 

J. C. S. BROUGH. 



CONTENTS 

COMPLETE INDEX, with full references to joints, tools, 
materials, accessories, etc., is provided on pages 201 — 214. 

PAGE 

THE GLUED JOINT ..... i 

Glueing— Hints on Jointing — Applications of the 
Glued Joint. 

THE HALVED JOINT . . . . . .11 

Various Halved Joints — Tee, oblique, mitred, 
dovetailed, and crosshalving — Applications of the 
Halved Joint — Setting Out — Sawing — Paring. 

THE BRIDLE JOINT 27 

Various Bridle Joints — Setting Out and Marking — 
Sawing — Chiselling. 

THE TONGUED AND GROOVED JOINT . . 39 

Flooring — Matchboarding — Tongues — Applications 
of the Joint — Corner Joints — Ploughing — Tongueing 
— Planes. 

THE MORTISE AND TENON JOINT ... 53 
Barefaced Tenons — Haunched Tenons — Shouldered 
Tenons — Other Joints, with Apphcations — Setting 
Out — Sawing the Tenons — Cutting the Mortises. 

THE DOWELLING JOINT 77 

Making Dowels — Dowelling — Various Applications 
of the Dowelled Joint. 

THE SCARF JOINT 89 

Half Lap Scarf Joints — Dovetailed Joints — Tenoned 
Joints — Fished Joints. 

THE HINGED JOINT 93 

Ahgnment — Gauging — Sawing and Paring — 
Various Types of Hinges — Inside and Outside Hang- 
ing — Hingeing Draught Screens — Various Hinged 
Joints. 

SHUTTING JOINTS in 

Cupboard Door Joints — Astragals — Various Joints. 



CONTENTS {Continued) 

PAGE 

THE DOVETAIL JOINT . . . .117 

Through DovetaiUng — Lap Dovetailing — Dovetail- 
ing Drawers — ^Variations of the Dovetail Joint — • 
Dovetail Keying — Applications of the Dovetail Joint 
— Setting Out and Marking — Sawing — ChiselUng — 
Paring. 

DOVETAIL GROOVING 145 

JOINTS FOR CURVED WORK . . . .149 
Circular Framing — Lamination. 

MISCELLANEOUS JOINTS ..... 153 
Weather Boards — Ladders — Cornice Poles — Rustic 
Work — Patera Screw Covers — Veneer Keying — 
Pelleting — Jointing Turned Work — Castor Pins — 
Crush Feet — Tee Slide Joints — Pocket Screwing — 
Glue Blocking — Notched, Cogged, and Saddle 
Joints — Roll- top Desk Joints — Birdsmouth Joints 
— Scribing Joints-— Butt Jointing — Buttoning — Wall 
Plugs — Slot Screwing — Housing — Bookcase Shelf 
Joints — Battening — Dovetail Keying — Coopered 
Joints — Wedged Frame Joints — Corrugated Steel 
Fasteners, etc. 

THE MITRED JOINT 177 

How to find Angles for Straight and Curved Mitres 
— ^Mitreing. 

PUZZLE JOINTS 187 

Chinese and Other Eastern Puzzle Joints — Dovetail 
Puzzle Joints. 

INDEX, with Eleven Hundred References . . • 201 

THE ART OF WOODWORKING . . . .215 



THE GLUED JOINT 

THE glued joint in its various forms is in use in every 
country in the world, and is frequently met with in 
mummy cases and other examples of ancient wood- 
work. Alternative names under which it is known 
are the butt joint, the rubbed joint, the slipped joint, 
whilst in certain localities it is known as the slaped 
(pronounced slayped) joint. 

The Glued Joint is made by planing two pieces of 
timber so that when placed together they are in contact 
with each other at every point ; they are then usually 
united with glue. Fig. i shows a sketch of a butt joint 
in its simplest form. In Fig. 6 is shown the method of 
holding the joint whilst being glued ; the upright portion 
is held rigid in the bench vice, thus leaving the left hand 
to hold the piece which is to be jointed, whilst the right 
hand operates the glue brush. The pieces of wood which 
form a butt joint may be glued together with or without 
the aid of cramps or artificial pressure. If the joint is to 
be made without cramping, the two surfaces of the timber 
are warmed so as not to chill the glue. The surfaces are 
then glued and put together and rubbed backwards and 
forwards so as to get rid of the superfluous glue. This 
rubbing is continued three or four times until the joint 
begins to adhere. Care must be taken that the boards are 
in their correct relation to each other. They are then put 
aside to dry. 

GLUEING. 

The better the glue penetrates into the pores of the wood, 
the stronger the joint will be ; for this reason timber of the 
loose-fibred variety, such as pine, etc., will hold up at the 
joint better than hardwoods Hke teak and rosewood. The 

;.w. _ a 



Joints in Woodwork 

glue used for jointing should be neither too thick nor too 
thin ; the consistency of cream will be found suitable for 
most purposes. It should be nice and hot, and be rapidly 
spread over the surface of the wood. 

If light-coloured woods, such as pine, satin-wood, 
sycamore, etc., have to be jointed, a little flake white should 
be procured and mixed into the liquid glue. This will 
have no detrimental effect on its adhesive qualities, and 
it will prevent the glue showing a thin black Hne on the 
joint. An alternate method which answers well on ordi- 
nary work is to rub the joint with a piece of chalk and 
wipe the surplus amount away previous to glueing. 

Broad surfaces of close-grained hardwood, which 
generally present a shiny surface to the eye, are usually 
carefuUy roughened with a fine toothing plane blade pre- 
vious to glueing. 

Supporting the Joint. — ^The jointed boards should not 
be reared up against a " bench leg " or wall without having 
any support in the centre, as dotted line at Fig. 5, because 
in all probability they will fracture before the glue has time 
to set ; and, when we go to take them up to renew working 
operations, we shall be annoyed to find that they have 
assumed a position similar to that shown at Fig. 5, and this 
will, of course, necessitate re- jointing. 

A correct method to adopt is shown at Fig. 4. Here we 
have supported the joint by rearing up against the wall a 
couple of pieces of batten, one at each end of the board, 
thus supporting it throughout its entire width until the 
glue is thoroughly set. The two or more pieces of timber 
in a butt joint adhere by crystallisation of the glue and 
atmospheric pressure. A well-fitted joint made with good 
quality glue is so strong that, when boards of three feet 
and upwards are jointed together by this method, the 
timber in most cases will break with the grain sooner than 
part at the joint. 

Butt joints may be cramped up, if desired, and it is 
customary to warm them as previously stated. In the 



The Glued Joint. 

absence of the usual iron cramp, the amateur may make an 
excellent wooden arrangement as shown in Fig. 21. This 
can be made out of any odd pieces of timber that happen 




Fig. I. — Simplest form of glued joint. 

Figs. 2 and 3. — Testing the jointed board with a 

straight edge. 
Fig. 4. — Supporting a glued joint. 
Fig. 5. — Showing the result of want of support. 
Fig. 6. — Holding the joint whilst glueing. 
Fig. 7. — Shelf slip-glued with hardwood. 
Fig. 8. — Moulding glued on shelf. 
Fig. 9. — Boards arranged with grain alternating. 



to be handy. Two blocks of hardwood are screwed on the 
base board at a suitable distance for the work in hand ; 
the boards to be jointed are glued and placed in position 
between the blocks ; and the two hardwood wedges are 

3 



Joints in Woodwork 

inserted and hammered in opposite directions to each other, 
thus exerting the desired pressure. 

HINTS ON JOINTING. 

When jointing, care should be taken to first plane up 
the boards true on one side — i.e., take them out of winding. 
The method of testing for this is shown at Fig. 23, and it 
may with advantage be used when jointing the edges of the 
boards. Two laths or strips of wood are planed up to 
exactly the same width, having their edges straight and 
parallel. One edge of each lath may, if desired, be bevelled 
a little. The method of using these " twist sticks " or 
" winding laths " is to put them on the board as shown at 
Fig. 23, and sight along their top edges. The winding 
laths, being much longer than the width of the board, 
show up the irregularity greatly pronounced. 

The Tools generally used for making the butt joints 
are : — 

The jack plane, for roughing the edges, etc. 

The wooden trying plane (or iron jointing plane) for 
trueing up the work. 

The set square for testing purposes. 

The winding laths and straight edge. 

The Method of Work is as follows : Each board is in 
turn put in the vice and planed straight lengthwise ; it is 
then tested with winding laths and a set square (the latter 
method is shown at Fig. 20). 

The boards are then put on the top of one another as at 
Fig. 2 and tested with a straight edge ; they should appear 
true as shown at Fig. 2 ; if they show faulty as at Fig. 3 
the joints must be again fitted until the required degree 
of accuracy is obtained. Difficulties may be avoided 
by care in selecting timber suitable for jointing, and it 
must be remembered that timber shrinks circumferentially 
(the heart side becoming round) as Fig. 24. If the timber 



The G hied Joint 

be jointed with all the heart side one way as at Fig. 24, the 
tendency will be for it to cast as shown by the single line. 
If the timber be alternated as at Fig. 25, the tendency will 
be to cast wavy, whereas if quartered timber can be obtained 
it will stand practically straight as the tendency to shrink 






Fig. 10. — Carcase wing pieces glued. 
Fig. II. — Angle butt joint. 
Fig. 12. — Jointing ogee-shaped panel. 
Fig. 13. — ^Timber jointed at 90° and 30"^ 
Fig. 14. — Quarter circle jointing. 
Fig. 15. — Hollow comer jointing. 



angles. 



is in thickness only. The grain of quartered timber is 
shown in Fig. 26. 

Judgment should also be exercised to avoid jointing in 
which one piece of timber is wild and large in the grain, 
and the adjoining piece of a mild-grained nature. Jointed 
boards should always be glued up with the grain running 
in the same direction if possible ; this we show at Fig. 27, 
and nothmg looks worse than a dressing chest end, or 



Joints in Woodwork 

similar piece of work, in which the grain runs haphazard. 
When jointing thin timber (say, J in., f in., J in., and | in. 
boards) the best method is to use a shooting board. It 
must be noted, however, that a shooting board and plane 
practically never give a true right angle, owing to wear and 
the grinding of the blade. Therefore, the boards should not 
all be laid with the " face mark," on the shooting board 
whilst the edges are shot, because any inequality would 
be multiplied by the number of pieces jointed. A better 
method is to alternate the boards, face side up, then face 
side down, whilst shooting the edges ; this will prevent 
convexity or concavity on the face of the jointed board, 
because any slight error in the angle is neutraUsed (see 
Fig. 9)- 

APPLICATIONS OF THE GLUED JOINT. 

Our other sketches show various applications of the butt 
or glued joint as foUows : — 

Fig. 7 shows a mahogany or other choice wood slip-glued 
on the edge of a cheaper wood, such as pine or whitewood, 
as is the case on bookcase shelves when only the front edge 
is seen and polished. 

Fig. 8 shows a moulding glued on a shelf, both mould and 
shelf in this instance being of polished hardwood. A shelf 
of this type would be used as the top shelf across a recess 
in a dining-room. The object of the moulding is to hide 
a small |-in. iron rod which would carry the curtain rings 
and heading of the curtain which covers the recess. The 
shelf would be fixed about 3 ft. 9 ins. to 4 ft. 3 ins. from the 
floor. 

Fig. 10 shows the wing pieces glued on the top bearer of 
carcase work. The application of this bearer in its position 
will be shown in the chapter on Dovetailing. 

Fig. II shows a butt joint planed at an angle of 45° 
(commonly called a mitre), used for box feet, etc. 

Fig. 12 shows jointing up of an ogee-shaped panel. The 

6 



The Ghted Joint 

dotted lines indicate the thickness of the timber previous 
to its being worked up to the finished shape. Bow-fronted 
and semi-circular panels are jointed in a similar manner. 

Fig. 13 shows timber jointed at right angles to the 
upright piece, and at an angle of 30 degrees. 




Fig. 16. — Lining-up a glass frame. 
Fig. 17. — Jointing a shaped spandrel. 
Fig. 18. — Building up case of piano fall. 
Fig. 19. — Laminated work. 
Fig. 20. — Testing with square. 
Fig. 21. — Cramping arrangement. 
Fig. 22. — Glueing ploughslip to drawer. 
Fig. 23. — Test for winding. 

Fig. 14 shows quarter-circle jointing, as used in round- 
cornered chests of drawers, wardrobes, cupboards, etc. 

Fig. 15 is similar to Fig. 14, but with hollow comers (or 
coves). 

Fig. 16 gives the plan of a glass frame, showing pilasters 



Joints in Woodwork 

at the front and the Hning-up pieces at the back. The 
object of the latter is so that the glass will stand clear of 
the wall. The lining up pieces will of course bed to the wall, 
preventing an accumulation of dust and dirt, and the loss 
of small articles such as papers and letters, as frequently 
occurs when overmantel glasses, etc. , are not lined up. 




A 




g7 

Fig. 24. — Showing heart side one way. 

Fig 25. — Showing heart side alternated. 

Fig. 26. — Grain of quartered timber. 

Fig. 27. — Showing uniformity of grain. 

Fig. 28. — Jointing with shooting board and try plane. 



Fig. 17 shows the jointing up of a shaped spandrel to the 
required width. In a case of this description suitably 
grained and coloured wood should be selected, otherwise 
the bad match will at once draw attention to the joint. 

Fig. 18 shows the application of butt or glued jointing 
to the building up of the core of a piano fall previous to 
shaping up and veneering. 

Fig. 19. — Laminated work — the building up of circular 
rims for cabinet and joinery work. Plan and elevation 
show rim pattern of a pulley as used in the pattern-making 
trade. 

Fig. 22. — ^The glueing of a ploughslip to a drawer side, 
the ploughslip being used to carry the drawer bottom, 

8 



The Glued Joint 




Display Cabinet. (The top will be glue- 
jointed.) 

9 



Joints in Woodwork 

Fig. 28 shows the method of jointing with shooting board 
and trying plane ; the right hand operates the plane whilst 
the left hand holds the wood firm upon the shooting board. 




Method of holding Glued 
Joints with Iron Dogs. 

Owing to the importation of narrow and faulty timber 
the necessity of jointing is greater to-day than ever it was, 
wide timber of course meaning higher cost for raw material. 



TO 



THE HALVED JOINT 

THE HALVED JOINT is frequently known as half- 
lapping, and sometimes as checking and half -checking. 
In the majority of cases it is made by halving the two 
pieces, i.e., by cutting half the depth of the wood away. 
There are, however, exceptions to this rule, as in the 
case of "three-piece halving" (or, as it is sometimes 
called, " third lapping ") and in the halving of timber with 
rebated or moulded edges. Halving is one of the simplest 




Fig. 29. — Frame, with vanous halved joints. These, 
numbered i, 2, 3, etc., are shown in detail in 
Figs. 30 to 39. 

methods of connecting two pieces of timber, especially where 
it is desired to make frames and bracket supports for either 
inside or outside use. 

Fig. 29 shows the elevation of a frame which is made up 
of a number of halving joints ; it shows also the appHcation 
of the various joints to this class of work. Each joint used 
in the construction of this frame may be dealt with separ- 
ately. The numbers marked on Fig. 29 refer to the indivi- 
dual joints, shown separately in Figs. 30 to 39. 

Fig. 30 shows the " Halved Joint " at the corner of the 
frame where the two pieces form a right angle. Each piece 

II 



Joints in Woodwork 



is halved and shouldered at opposite sides, thus forming 
a perfect fit one with the other and giving a strong joint 
with a minimum amount of labour. For inside work the 
joint would be glued and screwed together, the screw 
heads being countersunk so as not to come in contact with 




Fig. 30.— Halved Comer 
Joint. 





Fig. 31. — Halved Tee Joint. 



Fig. 32. — Oblique Halving, 
with Shoulder. 




Fig. 33. — Oblique Halving. 



the cutting iron of the plane when levelling off the work. 
For outside work, in exposed positions where the work will 
have to withstand the weather, the alternate method of 
smearing the joint with paint or with a mixture of varnish 
and white lead would be advisable, the joint being nailed 
or screwed. Fig. 30 shows the two pieces separated. 

Fig. 31 shows a similar joint to the above, but in this 
case the top rail runs through and it is generally spoken of 
as a " Halved Tee Joint." It may be used in nearly all 
cases where a top or bottom rail runs through an upright. 

12 



The Halved Joint 

The method of securing the joint is as before. Fig. 31 shows 
a sketch of the joint separated. 

At Fig. 32 is shown an " ObHque Halving Joint," where 
the oblique piece, or strut, does not run through. This 
type of joint is used for strengthening framings and shelf 
brackets ; an example of the latter is shown at Fig. 49. 
A strut or rail of this type prevents movement or distor- 
tion to a frame diagonally (generally spoken of in the trade 
as " racking "). Fig. 32 shows the joint apart. 





Fig. 34. — Dovetail Halving. Fig. 35. — Mitred Halving. 



Fig. 33 is an example of " ObUque Halving" with the 
upper piece running through. This joint is used in similar 
positions to Fig. 32, and has in some cases the disadvantage 
of showing end grain at the top of the frame. Fig. 33 shows 
a sketch of the two pieces separated. 

Fig. 34 is " Dovetail Halving," the dovetail running 
through the top piece. This is a strong joint, used where 
outside strain is likely to occur in the top piece, the dove- 
tail preventing the rail from being drawn away from the 
shoulder. At Fig. 34 is a sketch of the two pieces. 

At Fig. 35 is seen " Mitred Halving," a somewhat weak 
joint, but necessary in looking-glass frames, etc., where 
good appearance is required on the face side. Its use is 
obvious if the face of the frame be moulded with beads 

13 



Joints in Woodwork 

or other sections which require to intersect one with the 
other. This also applies if the frame be moulded on its face 
edges. ' At Fig. 35 the joint is shown separated. 





Fig. 36. — Halved Joint with 
Double Dovetail. 



Fig. 37. — Halved Joint 
with One Side 
Dovetailed. 



Fig. 36 indicates the " Halved Joint/' the pieces at one 
end showing a double dovetail. This particular joint is 
seldom used except for Manual Training purposes. Fig. 36 
shows a sketch ol the joint apart. 





Fig. 38. — Oblique Dovetail 
Halving. 



Fig. 39. — Stopped Dovetail 
Halving. 



Fig. 37 is a " Halved Joint " with one side of the piece 
dovetailed. This joint is used in similar positions to Fig. 34, 
and rather less labour is required in the making. At Fig. 
37 are given the two separate pieces. 

14 



The Halved Joint 

Fig. 38 is *' Oblique Dovetail Halving," one side of the 
piece being dovetailed, used to prevent " racking," and as 
a cross brace to framing. It is occasionally made with both 





Fig. 40.— Cross Halving Joint. Fig. 



41. — Cross Halving Joint, 
edgeways. 



its sides dovetailed as s'hown at Fig. 34. The sketch Fig. 38 
shows the joint apart. 

Fig. 39 shows " Stopped Dovetail Halving." In this case 
the dovetail is similar to Fig. 34, with the exception that 
it does not run through the bottom rail. This is an advan- 





Fig. 42. 
Tee Halv- 
ing Joint. 



Fig- 43- — Dovetailed Halv- 
ing Joint for Lengthen- 
ing Timber. 



tage if the bottom edge of the rail is in evidence, or if it is 
required to glue a moulding or hardwood facing shp on the 
lower edge. The glue adheres better with the grain than 
it would end way of the grain, and if shght shrinkage occurs 
across the width of the bottom rail the moulding would not 
be forced away by the upright. 

The joint lettered B in Fig. 29 is a" Cross Halving Joint " 
where each piece runs through the other. Fig. 40 shows this 

15 



Joints in Woodwork 

joint separated, and Fig. 41 shows a similar joint separated 
where the joint is made edgeways. 

Fig. 42 shows a " Tee Halving Joint " with a dovetail cut 





Fig. 44. — Dovetailed and Fig. 45. — Dovetailed Halved 
Halved Joint. Joint with Shoulders. 

on the edge. This is seldom used except as a woodwork 
exercise. 

Fig. 43 is a "Dovetailed Halving Joint " used for lengt hen- 




Fig. 46. — Halved Joints Fig. 47. — ^Detail of Halved Joints as 
on Barrow Wheel. in Fig. 46. 

ing timber, and is also a favom-ite Manual Training model. 
It might also come under the heading of scarf joint, although 
rarely used in actual practice as such. As a practical 

16 



The Halved Joint 

woodwork exercise it calls for accurate marking out and 
careful fitting. 

Fig. 44 shows a combination of a dovetailed and halved 
joint ; whilst Fig. 45 shows a dovetailed halved joint with 
the shoulders housed. This latter is seldom used in actual 
work. 

Fig. 46 shows the application of halving joints when 
constructing a barrow wheel. The centre portion is an 






Fig. 48. — Bevelled 
Dovetail Half- 
lapped Joint. 



Fig. 49. — Kitchen 
Drop Table. 



Fig. 50. — Halved 
Moulded Joint. 



example of three pieces " half-lapped *' or, as it is some- 
times called, " one-third lapped." A sketch of the three 
pieces separated is shown at L, B, C, Fig. 47. 

This joint is extensively used in the pattern making trade 
for lap- jointing the arms of pulley patterns, etc. It is 
probably the most difficult of the halving joints to mark out 
and construct with the desired degree of accuracy. 

Fig. 48 shows a combination of a bevelled dovetail half- 
lapped joint. This is only used as a puzzle joint. When 
neatly constructed and glued together it is apparently 
impossible to make it, showing as it does a half lap on one 
side and a dovetailed half lap on the reverse side. 

Fig. 49 is the end view of a kitchen table with drop leaf, 
showing the overhang of the top to clear the skirting 
board. A table of this type is fastened to the wall with two 
iron holdfasts which engage with the ends of the table. 
The hinged bracket frame shows the application of the 

17 



Joints in Woodwork 

halving joint to bracket supports for this and similar 
purposes, such as brackets to support shelving, etc. In 
this example the hinged brackets turn underneath the table 
top, £Lnd allow the leaf to drop out of the way when not 





T:^T-1 



Fig. 51. — Separate piece of 
Fig. 50, used for Moulded 
Halved Joint. 





Fig. 52. — Cross Halving 
Joint. 



Fig. ,53. — ^Manual Training 
Halved Joint Exercise. 




Fig. 54. — Exercise Joint. 



required. The dotted lines show the position of a shelf 
for boots and shoes. 

Fig. 50 shows the halving of cross pieces which have their 
edges moulded ; a piece is shown separately at Fig. 51, but 
in this sketch the moulding is omitted to give a clearer 
representation of the method of construction. 

Fig. 52 is a '* Cross Halving Joint " where the two pieces 
are not at right angles. A plan and elevation of the joint 

18 



The Halved Joint 

are shown in the upper part of the figure, whilst a sketch of 
one piece of the joint is given in the lower illustration. 

Figs. 53 and 54 are principally used as Manual Training 
models, and call for patience and manual dexterity. 




■ 


i ! 




iS 




Fig. 55.— Carpentry 
Tie Joint. 



Fig. 56. — Cross Halving Joint with Housed 
or Notched Shoulders. 



Fig. 55 is used in carpentry and joinery where a tie or 
cross piece ties joists or beams at an angle. 
Fig. 56 shows the elevation, end view and sketch of a 




Fig; 57. — Cross Fig. 58. — Work- 
Rail and Upright shop Trestle 
Halved Joint. Joint. 



Fig. 59. — Cellarette 
Partition Joints. 



" Cross Halving Joint '* with housed or notched shoulders. 
This joint is seldom used in actual practice. 

At Fig. 57 are shown two cross rails and an upright halved 
together. This type of joint is used where three pieces 

19 



Joints in Woodwork 

meet, as is the case in building the framing of a poultry 
house. 

Fig. 58 is the end view of an ordinary workshop trestle, 
showing the application of dovetailed halving where the 
legs have a tendency to strain outwards. The inset {a) 
shows the housing of the top rail to receive the legs. 

Fig. 59 shows a deep drawer, generally known as a 
cellarette, and used in a sideboard to accommodate wine 




Fig. 60. 
Table Joint. 




Fig. 61A. — Oxford Frame 
Halved Joints. 



bottles. This shows a good example of halving the cross 
pieces so as to form compartments. The piece shown 
separately illustrates the method of construction. The 
ends of these pieces engage in the housings or grooves of 
the drawer sides. Pigeon holes or compartments in 
stationery cases, bookcases and writing bureaux are con- 
structed in a similar manner, although the method of 
housing, or combined halving and housing, is to be pre- 
ferred in some Ccises. 

At Fig. 60 is the plan of a circular table having a small 
circular shelf with the top removed. The rims or framing 
are built by the method known as laminating (see Fig. 19 
in chapter on The Glued Joint), after which they are 
veneered on the face sides. The appHcation of the halving 
joint to the shaped bottom rails, which in this case carry 
and support the small shelf, is shown in the part elevation. 

Fig. 61 A shows the well known " Oxford frame," illus- 

20 



The Halved Joint 

trating halved joints when the edge is rebated. Figs. 6iB 
and 6ic make clear the construction of this type of joint. 
Alternate suggestions are shown for the treatment of the 
corners, the simple inlay being black and white (ebony 
and holly or boxwood). Frames of this type are made 




Fig. 6iB. — Back View 
of Comer of Oxford 
Frame. 




6ic — The Halved Joints of 
an Oxford Frame. 



in various widths and sizes and are used for pictures, 
mirrors, etc. 

Tools Used. — The tools used for making joints of the 
above class are : planes, the gauge, tenon or other saw, 
chisels, try square, and in some cases a joiner's bevel to 
obtain and mark the necessary angles, pencil and marking 
knife. 

Method. — Plane up the face side and face edge of the 
timber, gauge and plane to both thickness and width ; 
mark shoulders with pencil or marking knife ; gauge to 

21 



Joints in Woodwork 



the thickness of the required halving ; saw waste portions 
away ; pare up with chisel to a good fit ; glue or glue and 
screw, or use paint as previously mentioned, and then level 
off the surfaces. 

HOW TO SET OUT AND MAKE THE HALVED JOINT. 

Although at first sight the halved joint may appear to be 
a very easy item of construction, it requires much care and 



*w 




^gr\ \ \ 


^fe^ ^ 


VA \ 


\^ % 


• 1 1 


' 1 1 


Fig. 63.— Marking the 
Timber. 


k j^'m \ ^^ 


^A^Va?- -^ 1 I 


« A I 1 1 



Fig. 62.-— The Two Pieces of a 
Halved Joint. 



Fig. 64. — Scoring with 
Square. 



attention in marking out and sawing. Fig. 62 shows the 
two pieces which form the joint separated, and it will be 
noticed that each piece of wood has half its thickness cut 
away, so as to accommodate the other piece. This type 
of joint is used where two pieces of wood cross each other 
at right angles, or at an angle as shown in Fig. 70. The 
halving joint is used also for joining two pieces of wood 
at their ends, as for instance the corner of a frame, one half 
of this joint being shown at Fig. 65 B. 



MARKING OUT. 

To make the joint, the timber should be carefully planed 
to its exact width and thickness. The two pieces may then 

22 



The Halved Joint 

be placed upon the bench (as shown at Fig. 63) or fixed in 
the vice. 

To Mark Out, find the centre of the timber, C, Fig. 63, 
and set out half the width of the wood on each side of the 
dotted centre Hne. Thus, suppose the wood (W) to be 
2 ins. wide, then set i in. on each side of the centre line. 
Take a square as at Fig. 64, and with a sharp penknife blade 
score or cut a line all round each piece of timber. 





Fig. 66. — Chiselling away 
^%- 65. — Using the Marking Wood up to the Gauge 

Gauge. Line. 

Next take up a marking gauge, and set the marking 
point to half the thickness of the wood. This distance may 
be measured, and its exactness tested, by pricking a small 
hole from each side of the wood with the marking gauge 
and carefully noting that the pricked holes coincide. 
The gauge mark is clearly shown in the various illustrations. 
Now, take a pencil and scribble or mark " waste," on the 
parts you intend to cut away. This will save trouble later 
on, especially if you are making several joints at once. 
Take your sharp penknife or marking knife blade, and cut 
fairly deeply into the marked Une on the portion you are 
going to pare away. 

Chiselling. — Fix the wood firmly in your vice, or 
against your cutting board or bench stop, as may be more 
convenient to you, and with a sharp chisel cut away the 

23 



Joints in Woodwork 

wood up to the marked line, as at Fig. 66. The channel in 
the sketch is exaggerated, so as to show the method clearly. 
Turn your wood about and cut a similar channel at A, as 
indicated by the dotted Une. The object of using a pen- 
knife or marking knife to mark out your work, instead of 
using a pencil, will now be obvious. Owing to the knife 
having scored about ^ in. deep across the fibres of the 
wood, the timber will come away cleanly when the chisel 




Fig. 68. — Paring away 
Fig. 67. — Sawing. Waste. 

is used, as at Fig. 66. The smaU channel thus made will 
form a guide in which to start your tenon or dovetail saw ; 
it prevents the saw cutting on the wrong side of the marked 
hue and thus making the halving too wide. 

Sawing. — Lay the work on the cutting board as at 
Fig. 67 ; or, if you prefer, put the work in the vice. Care- 
fully saw down the work until you just touch the gauge line. 
Do not press heavily with the saw ; use it lightly ; the 
weight of the back iron which is fixed on the saw will ensure 
the saw feeding into the work quite fast enough. If the 
saw is newly sharpened it will, in fact, be an advantage 
to slightly ease the weight of the saw from off the wood, 
owing to the keenness of its edge. If the halving is a very 
wide one, additional cuts may be sawn between the outside 
marks, and these will greatly facilitate the removal of the 
waste wood when paring it away. For sawing the joint 

24 



The Halved Joint 

reference may be made to Fig. 322 m the chapter on Dove- 
tailing. 

Paring Away the Waste material with a chisel is the 
next step, and this is shown at Fig. 68. The work may be 
chiselled either in a vertical or a horizontal position. The 
horizontal position is the easiest for the amateur who has 
a vice or handscrew, because he may hold the work securely 
with a mechanical device and so avoid the unnecessary risk 
to his fingers. 

Take the chisel and cut away A, Fig. 68 ; now turn the 
chisel and cut away B ; after which keep the chisel horizontal 




Fig. 69. — Showing Halved Joint at other 
than a Right Angle. 

and cut off ** the top of the hill," as it were, C. Repeat 
the three operations until you gradually pare the wood 
away exactly to the gauge line. When chiselHng, if you 
find a tendency for the work to chip or crumble at the 
back edge, owing to the forward pressure of the chisel, 
turn your wood round and begin to cut from the other 
edge, allowing the chisel to finish paring at the centre. 

Joints Other than a Right Angle. — If the halving joint 
is at an angle similar to the sketch, shown at Fig. 69, great 
care will have to be exercised in the use of the chisel, owing 
to the change in the direction of the grain of the wood. 
The arrow marks in this sketch distinctly indicate the 
direction in which the chiselling must be done so as to give 
a smooth result. This change of direction for cutting also 
apphes to the bottom of the halving joint. 

Cutting Joint at End of Timber (Fig. 70). — Should 

25 



Joints in Woodwork 

the halving joint be used at the end of a piece of wood, as 
at Fig. 30, separated, and Fig. 29, completed, the waste 
material may be roughly sawn away, and the fiat surface 
trimmed up with a chisel. 

To saw out this type of halving joint, proceed to work 
the line B exactly as already described ; then place the 
piece of wood obUquely in the vice as shown (Fig. 70) and 




Fig. 70. — Halved Joint at End of Timber. 



proceed to saw down the dotted Hne A, carefully watching 
the gauge hne to see that you saw on the waste side of the 
lines. Then turn the piece of timber with its opposite 
edge towards you, and again use the saw as illustrated. 
You will this time only have to watch the gauge mark on 
the edge of the wood, because the saw will readily follow 
in the saw kerf already made. Now place the wood ver- 
tically in the vice, and, keeping the saw in a horizontal 
position, saw down to the shoulder line B. 

Halving joints properly made and fitted should knock 
together with the weight of the clenched fist : the use of 
a heavy mallet or hammer will deface the work. 



s6 



THE BRIDLE JOINT 

A BRIDLE JOINT is often defined as the reverse 
of a mortise and tenon, and it is chiefly used in the 
carpentry and joinery trades. The name probably 
originated from the fact that it bears some resem- 
blance to the manner in which a bit sUps into the 
horse's mouth and is fastened to the bridle. There 
are not nearly so many varieties of the bridle joint as 





i" 


1 








Fig. 71. — Simple Bridle Joint 
with section at A B. 



Fig. 72. — Bridle 
Joint, showing 
the two parts. 



Fig. 73.— 
Leg Bridle- 
jointed to 
Rail 



there are of the halved and the mortise and tenon joints ; 
this being the case, we may take the opportunity of giving 
a few detailed directions, with explanatory illustrations, 
on the setting out and the making. 

Fig. 71 shows a bridle joint in what is perhaps its simplest 
form, the plan, elevation, end view and a section on the 
line A B being shown. A joint of this type may be appHed 
in nearly all cases where a halved or a mortise and tenon 

27 



Joints in Woodwork 

joint could be used. Fig. 72 is a sketch of the joint separated. 
Such bridle joints have an advantage as regards appear- 
ance over the mortise and tenoned variety in cases such 
as that shown at Fig. 73, which shows an occasional table 
leg fitted to the circular top framing. The bridle joint here 
allows the grain of the leg to run through to the top, 
and gives a better and more workmanlike appearance to 
the completed article. 

Fig. 74 is a mitred bridle loint, the part a showing the 




\ 



Fig. 74. — Mitre 
Bridle Joint. 





Fig. 75. — Frame 
with Bridle Joints. 



Fig. 76. — Oblique 
Bridle Joint. 



upright portion separated. This is a most useful joint for 
positions similar to that shown in the small glass frame, 
^^S- 75- The wood framing in this case is only i| in. in 
width, and if a mortise were used it would have to be excep- 
tionally small. The shaped rail at the bottom of this frame 
again shows the application of the bridle joint. 

Fig. 76 shows an oblique bridle joint, used in many 
instances as a brace, or strut, to prevent framing from rack-^ 
ing. (See also Fig. 32.) ^ 

Fig. 77 is a stopped bridle joint, used in positions where 
the top or bottom edge of the work meets the eye, and where, 
if the rail were allowed to run through, the end grain 
would appear unsightly. 

Fig. 'j'^ is a so-called bridle joint at the comer of a frame. 
This is also called ** an open slot mortise and tenon joint." 

28 



The Bridle Joint 

A good strong, serviceable ioint which can be used instead 




Fig. 77. — Stopped Bridle 
Joint. 



M 



Fig. 7». — Bridle Joint. 




Fig. 79 — Oblique Angle 
Bridle Joint 




Fig. 80. — Application of Bridle Joint to Roof Truss. 

of the closed mortise and tenon type, its advantage is that 
less labour is required in the making. (See also Fig. 92.) 

29 



Joints in Woodwork 

Fig. 79 is an oblique bridle joint used in similar positions 
to the above, but when the two pieces meet at an acute 
angle at the end of a frame. 

Fig. 80 shows the application of the bridle joint to a roof 
truss. Two sketches are shown at the joining of the tie 
beam and the principal rafter. The joint a is the type 
generally used. 

SETTING OUT AND MARKING. 

It is a safe rule, when setting out a bridle joint, to divide 
the thickness of the timber into three equal parts. This will 
leave the timber on each side of the tongue equal to the 
thickness of the tongue, thus giving uniform strength to 
the joint. The bridle joint is chiefly used for connecting 
the internal parts of wooden frames. It is stronger than 
the halving joint, and, owing to its peculiar construction, 
requires little in the way of pegs, screws or nails, to secure 
it in position. Fig. 81 illustrates the joint both open and 
closed. 

To understand the method of setting out and marking, 
glance at the sketch. Fig. 81. It is not necessary that the 
bridle piece A be the same width as the cross piece B ; but 
it must be remem^bered when setting out the joint with the 
marking knife or pencil that the width marked W on piece 
B must be equal to the width W on the piece A. The timber 
should be fairly accurately sawn or planed to the same 
thickness, and all edges should be square and true. 

Marking. — The wood is placed upon the bench, and the 
joint marked out by using a marking knife or penknife 
blade and the try square. A knife blade is much better than 
a pencil, as the sharp edge severs the fibres of the wood 
and gives a much finer line than the pencil. It is not always 
necessary to exactly square and trim the end of piece A ; 
it may with advantage in many cases be left \ in. longer 
than necessary and levelled off with the saw, plane and 
chisel after the joint is put together. 

30 



The Bridle Joint 

When the piece A has to have a bridle joint fitted at 
each end, it is the usual workshop practice to cut the timber 
about f in. longer than necessary, and mark the shoulder 
lines C to the exact length, after which the joints are cut 
This leaves the ends standing over the horizontal rails, 
and, after fixing the complete frame together, the small 
projecting ends are levelled off flush with the cross rails. 





Fig. 8i. — Bridle Joint, open 
and closed. 



Fig. 82. — Gauging the 
Timber with Mortise Gauge. 



Gauging. — After squaring all the shoulder lines round 
the timber with the knife and try square, the mortise 
gauge should be set so as to strike the two gauge lines 
marked G, Figs. 83 and 84, at one operation. If the worker 
does not possess a mortise gauge the work may be marked 
at two distinct operations with the aid of the marking 
gauge. The gauge should be adjusted so as to mark the 
wood into thirds, and the stock of the gauge (the portion 
of the gauge containing the thumb screw in Fig. 82) must 
be used from the face side of the timber when gauging up 
the whole of the pieces forming a frame. The face mark on 
the work is indicated by a glorified comma, and the edge 

31 



Joints in Woodwork 



mark is shown by an x, as in the various illustrations. 
Fig. 82 shows the method of holding the gauge in the right 
hand whilst gauging the lines on the work. 





Fig. 83. Fig. 84. 

The Two Parts of the Joint Marked. 

The joint, when marked out, will appear as at Figs. 
83 and 84, and the portions which are to be cut away may 
be shaded with a pencil as indicated ; this will prevent 




Fig. 85. — Boring previous to Chiselling. 

mistakes arising whilst cutting the work, especially by 
one who is not thoroughly familiar with the joint. 

The distance A B, in Fig. 83, must not be less than the 
distance A B in Fig. 84. 

32 



The Bridle Joint 

Boring Away Waste. — Examine Fig. 84 ; the shaded 
portion in the centre has to be cut away, and it will greatly 
facilitate the removal of this waste piece by boring a hole 
with a twist bit at the position shown. The twist bit should 
be about i in. less in diameter than the width between the 




Fig. 86. — Sawing — the first cut. 

gauge lines G. The easiest method of boring out this hole 
is shown at Fig. 85. 

SAWING THE JOINT. 

Sawing. — The wood should be put in the vice as Fig. 86. 
Taking up a saw, with the index finger on the side of the 
handle, commence sawing, and proceed until you come to 
the position indicated by the dotted hand and saw A ; this 
will leave a saw kerf or cut running diagonally from the 
shoulder line to corner of the wood. Release the vice and 
refix the wood so that it leans in exactly the opposite 

'•^- • 33 



Joints in Woodwork 

direction to Fig. 86 ; then reverse your own position 
and repeat the sawing, so as to cut another diagonal saw 
cut from the shoulder line to the corner. Fix the wood 
upright, as shown at Fig. 87, and saw as shown, when you 
will find that the saw has no tendency to run out of the 
guide cuts already formed by the method used at Fig. 86. 
Remember, when commencing to saw at Fig. 86, that it is 
necessary to saw inside the gauge line ; otherwise the joint 





Fig. 87. — Third or horizontal 
saw cut. 



Fig. 88.— Chiselling. 



will be too slack, owing to the thickness of the wood, 
which will be made into sawdust by the thickness of the 
saw blade. The index finger on the side of the saw, and 
pointing in the direction of the saw cut, will greatly help 
the worker to saw in a straight line, as it is natural to point 
with this finger to any object that is to be aimed at. 

Cut down the other line in a similar manner, and then 
with a chisel of suitable width carefully chop away the 
waste material. The wood may be placed "Sdge way upon 
the bench, or in the vice, and the chisel should be held 
vertically. The hole which has been bored with the twist 
bit will allow the chips which are cut away to offer little 
or no resistance to the chisel blade. The chiselling should 
not all be done from one side, or a chipped under-edge 
will be the result ; it is better to chisel the work until 
half way through and then turn the other edge of the wood 

34 



The Bridle Joint 

uppermost and again begin to chisel from the top. This 
method will finish the cutting in the centre of the work and 
prevent burred and ragged or chipped edges at the 
shoulder. 

Cutting the Shoulders. — With regard to working piece 
B, Fig. 8i, place the wood against the bench stop or in the 




Fig. 89. — Sawing the Shoulders. 

vice, and taking up a | in. chisel, carefully cut away a small 
channel, as shown at Fig. 88 ; treat the other shoulder 
lines in a similar manner. If the marking knife or pen- 
knife blade has been used with a fair amount of pressure, 
so as to score the fibres of the wood, this small channel, 
which is to form a guide for the saw, will quickly and easily 
be cut. Next place the wood in the vice or on the cutting 
board as shown at Fig. 89, and begin by sawing lightly at 
the back edge as shown. When the saw has entered the 
wood Jin. gradually bring the handle of the saw down from 
A to B whilst the saw is in motion. Continue sawing until 

35 



The Bridle Joint 



just on the gauge line ; then treat the other shoulder lines 
in a similar manner. 

Chiselling away Waste. — Fix your wood firmly in any 
suitable manner, vice or otherwise, and, holding your chisel 
tilted as at Fig. 90, pare away the blacked portion i ; then 
pare away the blacked portion 2 ; after which hold the 
chisel flat and by gradual operations pare away the dotted 




Fig. 90. — Chiselling away Waste. 

lines 3, until you come down to the gauge line ; then repeat 
the method of cutting on the opposite side of the wood. 
If any difficulty be experienced by chipped or ragged edges 
whilst chiselhng, it can easily be overcome by chiseUing 
alternately from the outside of the wood, so that the finish 
of the chisel cut takes place in the centre of the work, as 
previously described. Some workers prefer to chisel away 
the waste by placing the wood on its edge and using the 
chisel vertically instead of horizontally. The same methods 
(i, 2, and 3) hold good in this case. 

Joints Other than at 90°. — The two pieces forming a 
bridle joint are not always at right angles, as at Fig. 81 ; 
in many instances it is necessary that the joint be at other 
than 90**. The work, however, is treated in a similar 

37 



Joints in Woodwork 

manner, with the exception that an adjustable joiner's 
bevel is used instead of a try square to mark out the 
shoulder lines, and that a change of direction in the grain 
of the wood will occur when chiselling out the work. 
Fig. 91 indicates the change in the grain of the wood, and 
the adjustable joiner's bevel is also shown. 




Fig. 91. — Bridle Joint at Angle other than Fig. 92. — Open 
Right Angle. Slot Joint. 

Fig. 92 shows an open slot mortise and tenon joint, and 
not a bridle joint, as it is sometimes called ; this joint is 
marked out and cut in the same way as the bridle joint. 
Leading authorities are agreed that a bridle joint is an 
internal joint, and Fig. 92 shows the joint at the end of a 
frame, and it therefore comes under the heading of open 
slot mortise and tenon joints. (See also remarks on Fig. ^'^.) 



38 



THE TONGUED AND 
GROOVED JOINT 

THE tongued and grooved joint is used in one form 
or another throughout the whole of the woodworking 
trades, covering, as it does, a great variety of work 
from the laying of flooring boards to the construction 
of light cabinet work. 

Flooring and Match Boarding generally have 
the tongues worked on the solid board, and examples of a 
few of the various types are shown as follows : — 




Fig. 93. — Tongued and Fig. 94. — Section 
Grooved Flooring of Hardwood 

Board. Flooring, 

Fig. 93 shows the end view of the ordinary | in. tongued 
and grooved flooring board, as used in the construction of 
floors for mills, workshops and cottage property. This type 
of flooring is nailed to the joists in the ordinary manner, 
no attempt being made to conceal the nails used. 

Fig. 94 is a section of flooring which is generally made of 
hardwood, such as maple, oak, or jarrah. It is used in 
positions such as ballroom and skating rink floors, etc., 
the tongue and groove being worked in such a manner that 
it covers the nails as shown. Each nail is driven into its 
position at one edge of the board, the groove holding the 
next board and hiding the nail. 

Fig. 95 shows an example of matchboarding known as 

39 



Joints in Woodwork 



tongued, grooved, and beaded on one side only, and Fig. 96 
shows a similar type tongued, grooved and beaded on both 
sides. This variety of matchboarding is known in the trade 
as " T. G. and B." It is used for nailing on framing to 




Fig. 95. — Tongued 
and Grooved 
Matchboard- 
ing, with Bead 
on One Side. 



Fig. 96. — ^Tongued Fig. 97. — Match- 
and Grooved boarding. 

Matchboard- Tongued, 

ing, with Bead Grooved and 
at Each S.de. Vee'd. 



form partitions for rooms, offices, etc., for panelling corri- 
dors, etc., and for making framed and ledged doors, build- 
ing tool houses, cycle sheds and other outhouses, etc. 

Fig. 97 is an example of matchboarding that is tongued, 
grooved and vee'd on one side, and Fig. 98 shows tongued. 




Fig. 98. — Match- Fig. 99. — Double- Fig. 100. 
boarding Vee'd tongued Double-dovetailed, 

Both Sides. Matchboarding. Tongued, and 

Grooved Joiat 

grooved and vee'd both sides. These are used for similar 
purposes to Figs. 95 and 96, and many prefer the V match- 
boarding, because it is more easily painted than the beaded 
variety. 

The object of working a bead or beads on matchboarding 
is to break the jointing of the various pieces and to aim 
at ornamental effect ; also to prevent unsightliness should 

40 



The Tongued and Grooved Joint 

the timber shrink slightly. If a moderate amount of shrink- 
age takes place, as is nearly always the case, the joint 
at the side of the bead appears to the casual observer to 
be the fillet or channel worked at the side of the bead. 
If the tongues are not painted before the work is put to- 
gether, the shrinkage will cause the raw wood to show, and 
thus make the joint too much in evddence. 

Fig. 99 shows a double tongued and grooved joint used 
in the wholesale cabinet factories. It is preferred for the 




Fig. loi. — Joint with Single Fig. 102. — Loose 

Dovetail Tongue and Tongues. 

Groove. a. Cross Tongue. 

B. Feather Tongue. 

jointing of cabinet stock, and the amateur can make a similar 
joint by working two grooves and inserting loose tongues. 

Fig. 100 is the end view of a double-dovetailed, tongued, 
and grooved joint, and Fig. loi is a sketch of a similar 
joint having only one dovetailed tongue. 

From a constructional point of view Fig. 100 is far and 
away the best joint that has yet been produced. Unfor- 
tunately, however, there is not at the present time any hand 
tool that will economically produce it, owing probably to 
the fact that the joint is the subject of a patent. The 
dovetail tongue tapers slightly throughout its entire 
length, gripping the joint on the principle of the wedge, 
and squeezing the glue into the pores of the wood. 

Cabinetwork Joints. — With regard to tongued and 
grooved joints which apply more particularly to the jointing 
of cabinet work, Fig. 93 is produced by planes which are 

41 



Joints in Woodwork 

specially made for the purpose. One plane makes the tongue 
and another the groove. The handiest sizes to buy are 
those which joint | in., | in., and j in. timber, it being usual 
to dowel or loose-tongue thicker boards. The | in. par- 
titions (or, as they are sometimes called, " dustboards ") 
between the drawers of a sideboard or dressing chest 
are in good work jointed in this manner. The | in. and 
I in. " ends and tops " of pine or American whitewood 
dressing tables, wardrobes, etc., call for the larger sized 
planes. 




Fig. 103. — Cradle for Planing. 

Loose Tongues. — There are two methods of jointing 
with loose tongues, viz., the use of the cross tongue, Fig. 
102 A, and the use of the feather tongue. Fig. 102 B. Cross 
tongues are the stronger when glued in their position, and 
they can be used very much thinner than feather tongues. 
Feather tongues are cut diagonally across the grain as 
illustrated. 

Fig. 103 is a cradle for planing up loose tongues to the 
required width (generally f in.). Two grooves are made in 
a piece of i J in. hardwood ; one groove is used for planing 
the width way of the tongue and the other for planing the 
edge way. 

These tongues can be cut to accurate size on a circular 
saw bench if power and machinery are at hand. 

APPLICATIONS OF THE TONGUED AND GROOVED 

JOINT. 

Fig. 104 is a sketch of a portion of a sideboard top, show- 
ing the plough groove ready worked out to receive the 

42 



The Tongtied and Grooved Joint 

tongue ; the other half of the top is treated in a similar 
manner. It will be noticed that the groove is not worked 
through the full length of the board, but stopped about 
I J in. from each end ; this leaves a square joint at each 
end of the top on which the moulding is worked. If the 
groove be run through the board it looks very unsightly 
when the mould is finished. 

Fig. 105 is a shaped spandrel, such as is fixed in the recess 
of a sideboard or cupboard or shop window fitment. It is 




Fig. 104. — Part of Sideboard Top; 
grooved with ends left blind. 



Fig. 105. — Shaped Spandrel 
for Recess. 



of such a width that, were it cut from a wide board, the 
shaped portion would be apt to break off owing to the short 
grain at C. The shaping is therefore built up out of three 
separate pieces, the grain running as indicated by the 
sketch. The loose tongue is represented by the dotted 
line and a section is shown of the joint at the hne A B. 
At the opposite comer the tongue is left bUnd, i.e.y not run 
through the edge. This is the method that should be used 
when the shaping is above the level of the eye. 

Fig. 106 shows part of a carcase of a dressing table. 
The drawer runner A is shown grooved across the end to 
receive a cross tongue ; this cross tongue engages with a 
similar groove in the front bearer. This method of fastening 
the runner to the bearer is in every-day use. 

Fig. 107 is a writing table top. The centre boards are 

43 



Joints in Woodwork 

first jointed and glued up, after which the ends and sides 
are grooved ready to receive the cross tongues. The hard- 
wood margins are shown at one end and at the front, and the 




Fig. 1 06. — Part Carcase of Dressing Table. 

grooves are arranged so that, on completion, the mar- 
ginal frame stands above the top just the amount of the 
thickness of the leather which will cover the table. In 
some cases the margin at the end runs the same way of 




Fig. 107.— Writing Table Top. 



the grain as the top, thus allowing for slight shrinkage. 
Cross tongues would of course be used in this case. 

Fig. 108 is a sketch showing one-quarter of a barred or 
tracery cabinet door. An enlarged section of the astragal 
mould which is grooved to fit on the bar which forms the 
rebate is also shown. 

44 



The Tongued and Grooved Joint 

Fig. 109 is a combing or comer locking joint, a method 
of making boxes by means of a continuous use of tongues 
and grooves instead of dovetails. This type of joint is 
generally machine made. The amateui, however, who is 






Fig. 108. — Comer 
of Barred Door. 



Fig. 109. — Combing or 
Locking Joint. 



Fig. no. 
Single Loose 
Tongue and 

Double- 
tongue Joint. 



not proficient to undertake a dovetailed box frequently 
uses this method. 

Corner Joints.— Fig. no is a single loose tongue and a 
double solid tongue. Both are methods used to connect 





Fig. III. Fig. 112. Fig. 113. 

Examples of Tongued and Grooved Comer Joints. 

circular cornered work, such as a counter end, to the front 
framing. 

Fig. Ill shows a tongue and grooved joint suitable for 
edge or end jointing, such as fitting matchboarding round 
a chimney breast, making small jewel drawers, etc. 

Fig. 112 is a tongued and grooved joint, with a bead 
worked on ssime to hide the joint, sometimes called a staff- 

45 



Joints in Woodwork 

bead. It would be used in positions such as boarding in an 
upright iron pillar, etc., the bead giving a neat finish at 
each corner. 

Fig. 113 is a similar joint, but at an obtuse angle. An 
example of its use is in fixing boarding round an octagonal 
column of brickwork. 

Fig. 114 shows a tongued and grooved mitre as used 
for strengthening the corners of cabinet work, such as 
tea caddies, small boxes, plinths, etc. B shows a small 




Fig. 114. Fig. 115. Fig. 116. 

Tongued and Method of Comer Joint with 

Grooved Mitre. Working Groove. Comer Mould. 



rebated block, one of which would be used at each comer 
to facihtate the cramping up when glueing the joints. 

Fig. 115 shows the method of working the groove in the 
above joints. The pieces are turned back to back, the mitres 
thus making a right angle. The guide on the grooving 
plane thus works against each face of the joint, and this 
ensures correct jointing. 

Fig. 116 is somewhat similar to Fig. iii, but with a 
quarter circle mould to hide the joint. 

Fig, 117 indicates the building up of a double skirting 
mould. C represents the brickwork, A the oak-framed 
panelling, and B the packing and fixing block. A wide 
skirting of this type is made in two portions for convenience 
of working the moulding and to prevent undue shrinkage. 

Fig. 118 is the top part of a dressing table with glass and 
jewel drawers. The sketch shows the two pieces separated. 

46 



The Tongued and Grooved Joint 

These are jointed by tongueing and grooving, and when 
glued up the capping mould hides the joint. This makes a 
neat finish, no screws or nails being required, and the joint 
is to all appearances a glued butt joint. 




Fig. 117. 

Double Skirting 

Mould. 



Fig. 118. — Dressing Table Top, with sketch 
of parts separated. 



PLOUGHING. 

When grooves have to be worked in the edge or face of 
a board to receive tongues, the process is generally called 
ploughing, and it is usually accomplished by a special 
tool called a plough (or, as it is occasionally spelt, " plow "). 
When a plough plane is bought it is usual to procure eight 
plough bits or blades of various sizes to fit the plane. 
Fig. 119 shows the back elevation of a plough plane with 
the names of the various parts lettered thereon. 

The board or boards which it is desired to groove are 
first planed straight and true, exactly as though it were 
desired to make a glued or butt joint. One of the boards 
is now placed edge way up in the vice and with the face 
side to the worker. 

47 



Joints in Woodwork 

Take the plough plane and select a suitably-sized blade ; 
fix it in the plane in the usual way, allowing the cutting 
edge to project beyond the steel skate about ^ of an 
inch, and securely drive up the wedge. Next loosen the 
small boxwood wedges at the side of each stem (the parts 




Fig. 119. — Plough Plane. 




Fig. 120. — Plan of Plough Plane, 

called the stems are lettered S in the plan, Fig. 120), and 
adjust the plane by tapping the stems with a hammer until 
the cutting iron is in the desired position ; then knock 
up the small wedges nice and tight. When setting the fence 
to or from the blade it is a wise precaution to measure the 
distance from the fence to the skate at each end of the plane ; 
this will ensure the skate being parallel to the fence. The 
neglect of this is a source of annoyance to many amateurs. 

48 



The Tongued and Grooved Joint 

Now adjust the depth stop by turning the screw at the 
top of the plane, measuring the depth of the required groove 
from the edge of the blade to the stop, and then carefully 
lock the screw which adjusts this stop. The screw is 
generally adjusted with a screwdriver at the side of the 
plane. Other types of plough or fillister planes have a 
screw adjustment on the stems in place of the wedges. 

Using the Plane. — ^The plane is now ready for use. 
Hold the fence close up to the side of the timber, the hands 
in position as shown at Fig. 120, the position of the body 
being that generally assumed in planing. Move the plane 
backwards and forwards in the usual manner, beginning 
the cut at the end of the board nearest to the vice jaws (the 
front), and proceed with the planing until the depth stop 
is in contact with the wood. Then take a step backwards 
and repeat the process until the whole length of the groove 
is ploughed. Care must be taken to force the fence up to 
the board with the left hand, whilst the right hand thrusts 
the plane backwards and forwards, and the plane must be 
kept vertical. 

TONGUEING. 

The grooves having been completed the tongues have to 
be made. Fig. 121 shows a sketch of a board and the 
method of marking out cross tongues {a) and feather 
tongues (6). The usual procedure for making cross tongues 
is to plane the end of the board and use a cutting gauge 
to give a line the required distance from the end (see 
sketch). The board is sawn with a tenon or panel saw, 
and the piece of timber for the tongue is thus procured. 
If a feather tongue is to be used it is cut diagonally from 
the board (6) and the ends cut square as shown by the dotted 
line. 

Feather Tongues can be obtained in fairly long lengths 
out of narrow boards, whilst on the other hand cross 
tongues are limited by the width of the board After 

'•"• 49 



Joints in Woodwork 

cutting off the tongues, they require planing with nicety 
to fit the grooves, and the advantage of a grooved board 
(Fig. 103) will be appreciated. A glue spoon similar to 




Fig. 121. — ^Method of Marking Out for Cross Tongues 
and Feather Tongues. 

a plumber's ladle is generally used to pour the glue into 
the grooves, and it is usual to glue the tongue into one 





Fig. 122. Fig. 123. 

End Views of Tongueing and 

Grooving Planes. 




Fig. 124. — Method of 
Tongueing. 



board first ; after allowing this to set, the joint is completed 
in the usual manner. 

Tongueing Planes. — Fig. 122 shows the end view of a 
tongueing plane for working matched joints out of the 

50 



The Tongued and Grooved Joint 

solid. The method of holding and using the plane is 
similar to the directions given for using the plough. The 
portion F represents the fence, which in this case is not 
adjustable ; a is the blade and w the wedge. 

In description Fig. 123 is similar to Fig. 122. The steel 
skate runs in the groove and supports the cutting blade 
similar to that in the plough plane, and it may be here 
pointed out that, provided a grooving plane of this type 
is of suitable width, it may be used for making grooves for 
loose tongues. Many workers who do not possess a plough 
use planes of this type for ploughing. 

Fig. 124 shows the method of tongueing the shoulders 
of tenons as used in thick timber which is to be veneered 
on the face. A temporary piece of wood {a) is put between 
the tenon cheek and the saw, thus forming a guide for the 
latter. After cutting one saw kerf a thicker piece is made 
and a second saw kerf cut ; the waste between the saw 
kerfs is now removed with an J in. chisel and this completes 
the groove. A tongue of this type acts as an extra tenon 
and prevents the joint from " lipping " (becoming uneven) 
on the face side. 



51 



Joints in Woodwork 







Light Japanese Vase Stands. (Fixing is by means of 
Mortise and Tenon Joints.) 



52 



THE MORTISE AND TENON JOINT 

AMORTISE AND TENON JOINT is the method of 
joining timber or other material by forming a solid 
rectangular projection in the one piece and cutting a 
corresponding cavity to receive it in the adjoining 
piece. The projection is called the tenon, and the 
cavity the mortise (Latin, teneo, to hold ; and French, 
mortaise). Joints of this type are secured in various ways. 




Fig. 125. — Barefaced 
Tenon Joint. 



Fig. 126.— Stub 
Tenon. 



Small wedges, wooden dowels, metal dowel pins, glue and 
paint are frequently used, and prior to the introduction 
of glue we have examples of Egyptian furniture in which 
the mortise and tenon joints were united by a composition 
of cheese. 

Barefaced Tenong. — Fig. 125 illustrates the joint in its 
simplest form and shows a tenon having only one shoulder. 
This is called a barefaced tenon, and it will be noticed that 
the portion which carries the mortise is thicker than the 
rail on which the tenon is cut. The joint is therefore level 
(or flush as it is called) on one side only, and it should 
never be used at the comer of a frame. It is a useful 
interior joint for framing that has to be covered on the 
back side with matchboarding, and allows the work to 

53 



Joints in Woodwork 

finish level at the back when the boarding has been applied 
(see plan). 

Stub or Stump Tenon (Fig. 126) — also occasionally 
called a joggle tenon. The illustration shows a tenon as 
used in the interior of a frame. The tenon is not allowed 
to run through the stile, and unsightliness on the edge is 
thus avoided. This type of tenon is often used at the 
corner of a frame, and it then requires to be haunched. 



(^ ^ 


^^/J 


^ 






u 


,1- 







Fig. 127. 
Haunched Tenon. 




Fig. 128. Fig. 129. 

Gauging. Haunched Tenon Joint. 



A good workshop method of gauging the depth of the 
mortise for a stub tenon is shown in Fig. 128 ; a piece of 
gummed stamp paper is stuck on the side of the mortise 
chisel, indicating the desired depth of the mortise. This 
greatly facilitates the work, as it is not necessary to be 
constantly measuring 

A Haunched Tenon, as used at the end of a door frame, 
is shown at Fig. 127. In this case it will be seen 
that the width of the tenon is reduced, so that sufficient 
timber will be left at the end of the stile to resist the 
pressure of the tenon when the joint is driven together. 
The short portion A, which is left on the tenon, is called 
the haunch, and the cavity into which it engages is called 
the haunching. The haunch and the haunching prevent 
the two pieces of timber lipping, or becoming uneven on 

54 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

the face side, as would be the result if it were cut away 
entirely up to the shoulder. 

Fig. 129 shows the type of tenon and haunch used when 
the stile or upright rail is grooved to receive a panel. In 
this and similar cases the haunch is made the same width 
and the same depth as the groove ; the groove therefore 
acts as the haunching. An application of this joint is 
shown in the top rail of the door frame, Fig. 130. 



^: 



y^ 




...... 



Fig. 130. 

Application of 

Haunched 

Mortise and 

Tenon Joints. 



Fig. 131. 

Occasional 

Stump 

Tenon. 



Fig. 132., 

Joint for Inside 

Framing. 



This type of joint is also used to connect the rail to the 
leg of an ordinary kitchen table, Fig. 164. 

Fig. 131 is a variation of the stump tenon, occasionally 
used where the work in hand demands a thin tenon and 
a stout stump to take heavy strains. 

A Mortise and Tenon Joint, used for inside framing, 
is shown at Fig. 132, an application of its use being seen 
in the frieze rail, Fig. 130 (second rail from top). The 
rails may be used as shown in Fig. 132, but in the case of 
a door frame (as Fig. 130) they would have the inside 
edges grooved to receive the panels ; the tenons would 
therefore be slightly narrower than shown, owing to the 
groove at each edge. 

A Haunched Barefaced Tenon, used in similar positions 

55 



Joints in Woodwork 

to Fig. 129, is shown at Fig. 133. The door or frame in this 
case would be made of matchboarding nailed on the back 
as shown in the plan, Fig. 125. 

Fig. 134 is an illustration showing a haunched tenon, 
with the names of the various parts. 

Wedges. — Fig. 135 shows the method of cutting wedges 
which are to be used to wedge the tenons ; this avoids 
waste of material. Some workers cut the wedges from 




I 



Fig. 133- 
Haunched Bare- 
faced Tenon. 





HOC 


i i^ 


A 


i SIOC 0* 
1 CnCLH 


i 


" „^- ^ 


f 



Fig. 134. 




Fig. 136.— Stile 
and Cross Rail 
with Horn. 




Fig. 135. — Cutting Wedges 
from Waste of Haunching. 




Fig. 135A. — Method of 
Wedging Tenons. 



the pieces left out of the haunching of the lock rail, or the 
bottom rail shown at Fig. 130. 

A Stile and Cross Rail, framed together, are shown 
at Fig. 136. The portion above the rail is called the horn, 
and it is usual to leave sufficient length of stile to project 
above and below the cross rails, so that there will be no 
tendency for the stile to burst out at the end whilst the 
cramping and wedging of the frame is in progress. On 
completing the framing the horn is cut away. 

56 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 



In Fig. 137 A denotes a single line diagram of a field 
gate and the illustration above shows the method of 
tenoning the three pieces to the top rail, barefaced tenons 
being shown. 

Fig. 138 indicates the method of fixing an interior leg 
to a table having a circular or straight top rail. The inlaid 
leg in this case is stump-tenoned into the top rail, and the 
inlaid portion of the leg is allowed to run through the 
rail, thus giving continuity of design. 

Sprocket Wheel.— At Fig. 139 are shown the guide 
bar and chain of a chain-mortising machine, two enlarged 
links of the chain being indicated at A. The chain is 



■ -"■J.:, 
V ^- — Tr 






2e; 



jij 




p 



€^ 



Fig. 137. 



Fig. 138. Fig. 139. Fig. 140. 
Fig. 138. — Fixing Interior Leg to 



Fig. 137. — Gate Joint, 

Taole, Fig. 139. — Sprocket Wheel. Fig. 140. — 
Mortising TooL 

similar in construction to the driving chain of a bicycle, 
with the exception that it is provided with teeth which 
cut away the timber as the chain revolves. When using 
a chain mortiser the portion of the machine carrying the 
chain is fed downwards into the timber, thus cutting a 
clean and true mortise. If, however, a stump mortise is 
required it is necessary to pare away a certain amount 
of timber by hand, because the machine obviously leaves 
a semicircular bottom to the mortise. To overcome this 
difficulty the latest type of mortising machines have a 
square hole-boring attachment fixed alongside the chain. 

b1 



Joints in Woodwork 

This tool, the working portion of which is illustrated in 
Fig. 140, consists of a square hollow chisel E, which is 
sharpened from the inside, and a revolving twist bit D, 
fitted with spurs or nickers, but without a point (one spur 
can be seen at the bottom of the illustration). This bit 
revolves inside the shell like a chisel, and bores away the 
superfluous timber, whilst the pressure exerted on the 
chisel causes the comers to be cut away dead square. A 
mortise | in. square by 6 ins. in depth may thus be cut. 
The portion marked A is the shank of the chisel (Fig. 140), 
where it is fixed into the body of the machine, and the hole at 
E allows the boring bit to free itself. 





Fig. 141. — Haunched 
Tenon for Skylight 
or for Garden Frame. 



!<: ;■ 



Fig. 142. — Long and 
Short Shouldered 
Tenon Joint. 



Fig. 141 shows the application of Fig. 133 to the making 
of a skylight or garden frame. In this and similar cases 
the side rails are rebated as shown in the section, and the 
bottom rail is thinner than the side rails to allow the glass 
to finish level upon it. 

Long and Short Shouldered Joint. — Fig. 142 shows 
a haunched mortise and tenon joint having a long and 
short shoulder. This is a fairly common joint in framed 
partitions for offices, framing for greenhouses, tool sheds, 
etc., and is a frequent source of annoyance to the amateur. 
It is necessary to use this joint when both the stiles and 
uprights are rebated, and it calls for accurate marking 
out and great care in the making. 

58 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

Fig. 143 shows the upright and rails of common garden 
or field fencing. The tenons are bevelled to fit and wedge 
each other in the mortise. The illustration shows both 
cross rails shouldered, but in many cases shoulders are 
omitted when the rails are not thick enough to carry them. 

Fig. 144 indicates faulty methods of working a tenon. 
At a the saw has been allowed to run too far when cutting 





Fig. 143. — Joint for 
Fencing. 



Fig. 144. — Faulty 
Tenon. 



the shoulder, thus greatly weakening the tenon. At h 
faulty sawing has again occurred, and to remedy this 
defect the worker has resorted to paring the shoulder with 
a chisel. Had the chisel been used vertically an undercut 





Fig. 145. — Japanese 
Tenon Joint. 



Fig. 146. — Tenoned and 
Scribed Joint. 



shoulder (as at h) would not have occurred. The trouble 
now is that the slightest amount of shrinkage in the width 
of the stile will show an open joint. The result will be 
the same if it is necessary to remove a shaving or two 
when planing or levelling up the face of the frame. 

A Japanese Tenoned Joint, Httle known and rarely 
used in this country, is shown at Fig. 145 c. The joint 

59 



Joints in Woodwork 



open is seen at a and h. At c it is shown closed. It is of 
the soft-wedging variety and should be interesting to 
Manual Training teachers. 

A Tenoned and Scribed Joint is seen at Fig. 146. The 
cross rail is cut at the shoulder, so as to fit the moulding 
which is worked on the stile. This is a good joint in every- 
day use. 

Mitred and Moulded Joint. — Fig. 147 shows a type of 
joint largely used in light cabinet work. The method of 
mitreing the moulding and tenoning the stile to rail is 
indicated. 




A 



Fig. 147. — Mitred and 
Moulded Joint. 



Fig. 148. — ^Twin Tenons. 



Twin Tenons (Fig. 148). — The method of tenoning the 
bearers which carry the drawers, or the midfeather between 
two drawers, in a dressing table or similar carcase is here 
shown. On completion, the tenons on the midfeather are 
wedged diagonally. 

Pinning. — Fig. 149 shows the tenoning of the inside 
end of a wardrobe to the top of the carcase. This is also 
called pinning. The tenons should be wedged diagonally. 
The tenons and the distance between the tenons are more 
satisfactory if made equidistant, because if slight shrinkage 
occurs this is partially equalised. The width between 
the tenons should in no case exceed 3 ins. 

Top Rails. — At Fig. 150 is shown the method of joining 
the top rails to the post of a tool shed or similar outhouse. 

60 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

The two rails, which are at right angles to each other, 
are half-lapped and mortised ; the tenon on the post 
runs entirely through them. 




Fig. 149. — Pinning. 



Fig. 150. — Joining 
Top Rails of 
Upright Post 



Fig. 151.— Tusk 
Tenon. 



A Tusk Tenon Joint, with wedge, as used to secure the 
binder to the girder when making floors, is indicated at 
Fig. 151. The tenon here is narrow, and engages with the 
mortise, which is situated in the compressional fibres 




Fig. 152. — Another Tusk Fig. 153. — ^Tusk Tenon and 
Tenon. Wedge. 



immediately adjoining the neutral layer. In our illustration 
the mortise has been cut to show the interior. 

Fig. 152 is a variation of the above joint. 

Fig. 153 shows tusk and wedged tenons as used when 
making a portable book or medicine cupboard like Fig. 154. 

61 ^ 



Joints in Woodwork 

The shelf is housed into the end, and the tenons'run through 
the end and are secured by wedges. This allows the article 
to be quickly and easily taken to pieces for removal or 
re-polishing. The dotted line in Fig. 153 indicates that 
the shelf may be shaped if desired. 




Fig. 154- 
Medicine Cupboard. 



Fig. 155- . 
Wheelwright's Joint. 



Wheelwright's Self-wedging Mortise and Tenon 
Joint. — In Fig. 155 the Une B, B, B is carried around the 
timber so as to clearly illustrate the amount of taper given 
to the mortise. 




w 



a 



Fig. 156. — Dovetail and Fig. 157. — Fox- wedging. 
Wedged Tenon. 

Dovetail and Wedged Tenon (Fig. 156). — When two 
pieces such as the cross rail and leg of a carpenter's bench 
are required to be held together by a mortise and tenon, 
and to be readily taken apart, the tenon is dovetailed on 
one side and the mortise is made of sufficient width to 
permit the widest part of the dovetailed tenon to pass 
into it. When the tenon is in its position a hardwood 
wedge is driven in above the tenon, as shown. 

62 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 



Fox Wedged Tenon (Fig. 157). — This is the method of 
securing a stub tenon by small wedges. The mortise is 
slightly dovetailed and two saw cuts are made in the 
tenon about -f^ in. from each side. Into each saw kerf 





Fig. 158. — Joint with 
Mitred Face, 



Figi 159. — Rafter Joint 



a wedge is inserted and the joint glued up. The cramping 
operation forces the wedges into the saw cuts, thus causing 
the end of the tenon to spread and tightly grip the mortise. 

Mortise and Tenon with Mitred Face (Fig. 158). — ^This 
is a useful method of jointing framing which has a square 




Fig. 160. — Roof 
Joints — Tie 
Beam, King 
Post and Strut. 



Fig. 161. — Draw- Fig. 162. — 
bore Pinning. Tenoning 
Moulded 
Sash Bar. 



edge as shown ; and it is equally useful even if the face 
edges have moulds worked upon them. If the joint has 
square edges a rebate may be formed to accommodate 
a panel by fixing a bolection moulding around the frame. 
A section of the bolection mould planted on the frame is 
shown in the lower figure. 

63 



Joints in Woodwork 



Rafter Joint. — Fig. 159 shows the method of tenoning 
the principal rafter to the king post. 

Roof Joints. — Fig. 160 illustrates the tenoning of the 
struts to the king post, and the king post to the tie beam. 
Both these examples are used in roof work. 

Drawbore Pinning. — At Fig. 161 is seen the method 
of securing a tenon by drawbore pinning, employed when 
it is not convenient to obtain the necessary pressure by 




Fig. 163. 

Tenon with 

Tongued and 

Grooved 

Shoulder, 



Fig. 164. 

Table 
Framing. 



Fig. 165. 
Twin Tenons with 
Haunch, for thick 
Timber. 



using a cramp. The joint is made in the usual manner, 
and a f-in. twist bit is used to bore a hole through piece B. 
The tenon is driven home and the hole is marked on the 
side of the tenon ; the tenon is then withdrawn and the 
hole bored about J in. nearer to the shoulder than as 
marked at C. When the tenon is finally inserted the 
holes will not register correctly, and if a hardwood pin be 
driven into the joint it will draw the shoulders of the tenon 
to a close joint and effectually secure the parts. 

Sash Bars. — Fig. 162 shows how to tenon a moulded sash 
bar to the rebated cross rail. In this illustration both 
shoulders of the moulded bar are shown square, but in 
the best class work these shoulders may be slightly housed 
into the cross rail to prevent side play. This type of joint 
is used for horticultural buildings, etc. If the lower rail 

64 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

be moulded with the same members as the sash bar, the 
end of the sash bar will have to be scribed on to it to 
make a fit. 

Tenon with Tongued and Grooved Shoulders (Fig. 163). 
— The object of the tongues and grooves here are to prevent 
the face of the work casting, or becoming warped, and 
thus spoiling the appearance of the surface of the work. 
If framing is to be veneered on the face side this is an 
exceptionally good method. 




% 



Fig. 166. — Open Fig. 167. — Open Fig. 168. — Hammer 
Slot Mortise. Slot Mortise Head Tenon, 

at 60° angle. 



Table Framing. — ^Fig. 164 indicates the framing of 
a rail to a dining-table leg. In cases similar to this the 
tenons run into the leg and almost touch each other. 
They are therefore mitred on the end as shown in the 
inset. Chair frames often call for similar treatment. 

Twin Tenons with haunch, as used when the timber is 
of great thickness, are shown in Fig. 165. 

An Open Slot Mortise at the end of a right-angled 
frame is seen in Fig. 166. Fig. 167 shows an open slot 
mortise and tenon joint at the end of a frame of 60°. 
Both these joints are occasionally called end bridle joints. 

Hammer Head Tenons. — At Fig. 168 is shown the 
method of jointing framing having semicircular or seg- 
mental heads. The front elevation indicates the method 

J.w. 6^ 



Joints in Woodwork 

of wedging the joint so as to draw up the shoulders ; the 
end view shows the tongueing of the shoulders, which is 
necessary if thick timber has to be wrought. The sketch 
depicts the stile when taken apart from the head of the 
frame. 

Clamping. — Fig. 169 shows the method of tenoning 
drawing boards, desk tops and secretaire falls. This is 
commonly called clamping. The method is used to prevent 
wide surfaces from winding. A variation of the joint is 




Fig. 169. — Clamping. Fig. 170. — Inserted Tenons, 

shown at the left-hand side, the corners in this example 
not being mitred. 

Inserted Tenons (Fig. 170). — Where two pieces of timber 
run together at an acute angle it becomes necessary to 
use inserted tenons. Both pieces of the timber are mortised 
and the inserted tenons are secured into the widest piece. 
On the left is shown the inserted tenon, secured by the 
method known as fox-wedging ; on the right the inserted 
tenon has been let into the wide rail from the edge. The 
narrow rail is secured by wedging the tenons from the 
outside edge in the ordinary manner. 

Wide and Narrow Rails.— Fig. 171 shows the tenoning 
of a wide to a narrow rail when the joint is at an angle. 

Dreadnought File. — At Fig. 172 is a sketch of a portion 
of a dreadnought file. This has superseded the old- 
fashioned home-made float used to clean out the sides of 
a mortise. 

66 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

General Rule. — In practically all cases where a single 
tenon is used the thickness of the tenon should be one-third 




Fig. 171. — ^Tenoning a Wide 
and a Narrow Rail. 



Fig. 172. — Dreadnought 
File. 



the thickness of the timber. This leaves the timber at 
each side of the mortise the same strength as the tenon. 
Mortise and tenon joints for inside work may be united 




Fig. 173. — External and Internal 
Tenon Joints. 

with glue. If, however, the work has to stand the weather 
a better method is to unite the joint with white lead, 
which is run down to the required consistency with good 
outside varnish. 

67 '» 



Joints in Woodwork 



SETTING OUT AND MAKING THE JOINT. 

The Principal Use of the mortise and tenon joint is in 
the construction of various types of framing, such as door 
and window frames. In one or other of its many and 
varied forms it may be classed as the most important joint 
in the general woodworking trade. The joint may be 
used as an internal one, as shown at the lower rail, Fig. 173, 




Figs. 174 and 175. — Setting Out Stiles and Rails 
for Mortise and Tenon Joints. 

or as an external joint, as the upper rail of the same 
illustration. 

Planing. — Whatever type of framing has to be made, 
it is necessary that the face side of the wood be planed 
up straight and out of winding, and the face mark (as 
shown in Fig. 173) pencilled upon it. The best edge of 
the timber should next be planed up true in length, and 
square to the face side, and the edge mark X clearly placed 
upon it. 

The Marking Gauge is now set to the desired width, 
and gauge lines are marked on the wood, after which the 

68 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

waste wood is planed off until the timber is the required 
width. The thickness is gauged and treated in a similar 
manner, except in such cases where the finished work is 
to be of a rough and ready character. 

The two Stiles or upright rails have their faces turned 
to touch each other, as shown at Fig. 174; and their 
length may be anything from i in. to 3 ins. longer than 




MAUNCHySIQ 



HORN 



Fig. 176.— Setting Out the Stiles with 
Marking Knife. 



the required finished size. This waste wood at each end 
of the stiles, as shown by the arrow HO, is of importance 
to the work, as it prevents to a great extent the bursting 
of the mortise whilst cutting the hole or when knocking 
together the work. The small projection is called the 
" horn," and it is cut off after the frame has been put 
together. 

The two Cross Rails, Fig. 175, have their faces placed 
together as shown in the sketch. These rails may with 
advantage be left \ in. longer than the finished size, and 
the portion of the tenon (which will protrude through the 
stile \ in. at each end) may be cut oif after the work is 
put together. 

69 



Joints in Woodwork 

Set out the Stiles with a marking knife or penknife and 
a try square, as shown at Fig. 176. In this sketch only 
one stile is shown for clearness of representation, but two 
or more stiles (as at Fig. 174) may be marked out at the 
same time, provided a 12-in. try square be used ; in fact, 
marking out the stiles in pairs is to be recommended, as 
all cross lines will be exact, owing to their being marked 




Fig. 177. — ^How to Saw the Tenons — First Operation. 

at the same operation. The cut made by the marking 
knife should be lightly carried all round the work as the 
mortising is cut from each edge of the stile, the cutting 
of the mortising being finished in the centre. The lettering 
on Fig. 174 is as follows : — HO, horn ; M, position of 
mortise ; H, position of haunching ; a, inside line, or 
sight size, as it is occasionally called. 

Set out the Cross Rails as at Fig. 175, lower sketch. 
The lettering in this figure is as follows : — T, tenons ; the 
small piece of the tenon lettered J is called the haunch, 

70 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

and the shaded portion H is cut away to allow the haunch J 
to fit the haunching of the stile. 

The Tenons are generally one-third the thickness of the 
timber, thus leaving the same amount of substance at 
each side of the tenon as the tenon itself is composed of. 
The mortise gauge is set to the required distance and used 
as already described (see Fig. 82). 




Fig. 178. — Second Operation in Sawing Tenons. 



To saw the Tenons, place the rail in the vice as at 
Fig. 177 and, with a panel, tenon, or hand saw, according 
to the size of the work, cut down the outside of the tenon 
line as shown. Reverse your position and cut as shown 
at Fig. 178, then place the rail in a verticcJ position, and 
you will find little or no difficulty in sawing down square 
with the shoulder line. Repeat the above methods of 
sawing until all the tenons are sawn. 

Next saw out the pieces at the side of the tenon by the 
following procedure. Place the rail against the bench 
stop, or in the vice, and cut a small channel in which to 

71 



Joints in Woodwork 

run your tenon saw as shown at Fig. 179. If you have 
scored the Une deeply with your knife when you were 
marking out the work, you will have little difficulty in 
removing a small portion with the chisel. The amount 
removed in the illustration is, of course, exaggerated. In 
the small channel thus made place the tenon saw and, 
guiding the saw blade with the finger so as to keep it upright 




Fig. 179. — Cutting Channel at Shoulder of Tenon 
before Sawing. 

or square (Fig. 180) , saw away the waste material. Remove 
the waste material at the sides of the tenons in a similar 
way, and then saw out the portion marked H, Fig. 175, 
lower sketch. 

The Mortising of the stiles may next be taken in hand 
by putting the stiles edgeways in the vice and boring 
away the bulk of the waste wood from the mortise with 
a suitable-sized twist bit and brace. This method will 
save a great amount of noise, as to a great extent it does 
away with the use of the mallet. Take the mallet and 
chisel and chop down about f in. as shown at Fig. 181 ; 
then turn the chisel to the position shown at Fig. 182 and 

72 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 




Fig. 1 80. — Sawing away Waste Material. 




Fig. 181.— Using the Chisel and MaUet for Mortising. 

remove the small piece as shown. Continue these two 
operations until you are about half-way through the wood 
and then start in a similar manner at the Hne a, Fig, 181, 

11 



Joints in Woodwork 

after which turn the other edge of the timber uppermost 
and repeat the methods shown. 

Fig. 183 shows the sketch of a mortise which has its 
side removed so as to show the method of successive cuts 
with a chisel when removing the core from a mortise ; 
this, in conjunction with the other sketches, clearly shows 




Fig. 182. — Removing Waste of Mortise with ChiseU 

the methods of working. In many woodwork examina- 
tions the examiners insist that the mortise shall be removed 
by successive cuts with the chisel, but we certainly advise 
the removal of much of the waste wood with a boring bit, 
provided the worker can keep straight and well within 
the Hmitations of his gauge lines. 

Removing Haunching. — After removing the mortise 
hole, the small portion which is called the haunching will 
require to be removed with a chisel. This calls for no 
special remark, as it is clearly shown in Figs. 185 and 186. 
Fig. 184 shows an everyday type of mortise and tenon 

74 



The Mortise and Tenon Joint 

joint separated ; it is used in cases where a straight joint 
is required on the upper or lower edge of the work, whereas 





Fig. 183. — Mortise wiA Fig. 184. — ^The Joint Separated. 
Side Removed. 




Fig. 185. — Removal of Haunching, 



the upper rail of Fig. 173 shows the full haunch on the 
top edge. In cases such as Figs. 185 and 186, where the 
edges of the frames are grooved to receive panels, etc., 
the width of the tenon is reduced by the width of the 
groove. 

75 



Joints in Woodwork 

This must be remembered by the worker when marking 
out his stiles with the marking knife. Fig. 185 (right-hsind 
sketch) shows the haunch, tenon, and groove G at the 
bottom. Fig. 186 (left-hand illustration) shows G (groove) 
at top, and HH (the haunch) at the bottom. Tenons may 
be glued together and wedged as shown at Fig. 173 if for 




Fig. 186. — Haunching with Groove above. 

inside work ; but if for outside work they are generally 
smeared with thick paint and wedged up. For light-class 
cabinet work it is usual to cut the mortise about seven- 
eighths of the distance through the stile and make the 
tenon to match it ; the edge of the finished work does 
not then show any indication of the joint, and it leaves 
a nice clean surface at the edge of the work for poUshing 
or varnishing. 



76 



THE DOWELLING JOINT 

DOWELLING is the term generally given to the 
method of jointing timber and other materials by 
wooden or metal pegs, which are called dowels. 
The idea of jointing timber in this manner pro- 
bably occurred to some observant woodworker whilst 
cleaving a piece of spruce or other variety of timber 
with the axe. When cleavage takes place in a piece of 
knotty timber it is often noticed that the fibres of the 



Fig. 187. 

Probable Origin 

of Dowelling. 




Fig. 188. 

Double 

Pointed 

Nail. 



Fig. 189. Fig. 190. 

Method of Making 

a Dowel. 



wood are severed, leaving a protruding portion of the 
knot which bears a remarkable resemblance to a dowel 
(Fig. 187), and this may probably be the origin of doweUing. 
It would naturally suggest to any woodworker the idea 
of placing pegs or dowels at right angles to the joint, 
thereby strengthening the work. 

With regard to pegs or dowels which are not made of 
wood, we shall only give one or two instances in this 
article. Iron dowels are used to secure the uprights of 
door frames to the stone step, and dowels made from iron 
nails are occasionally used for packing case making. 
Fig. 188 shows a double-pointed nail, which is used as a 
dowel in rough work, such as the making of soap and 



Joints in Woodwork 

sugar packing boxes. One half of the nail is driven into 
the edge of the board in the ordinary manner ; the two 
or more boards which are desired to be jointed are then 
laid face down on the bench, and the necessary pressure 
is obtained by the use of a cramp so as to force the points 
of the protruding nails into the adjoining board. Needless 
to say, this method is only used for the roughest class of 
work. 

For cabinet-making and similar work straight-grained 
beechwood dowels are mostly used ; these may be bought 
by the gross, in lengths of about 36 ins., and of any desired 
diameter. 




Fig. 191.— Steel Dowel Plate. 

Making Dowels. — Many amateurs, however, prefer to 
make what they require for the work in hand, and the 
following is the method that is generally employed. Pieces 
of straight-grained wood are wrought to a square section 
as at Fig. 189, after which the corners are planed away 
to form an octagonal section as Fig. 190. The sharp 
corners shown at Fig. 190 are now planed away, and the 
roughly formed dowel is driven through a steel dowel 
plate. Fig. 191, by the aid of a heavy hammer, thus giving 
the necessary roundness and finish to the dowels. When 
hammering dowels through a plate the hammer should 
on no account be allowed to come in contact with the 
face of the dowel plate, or the cutting edge of the hole will 
be spoilt. Simply drive the dowel to within J in. of the 
plate and knock it out with the next d wel. 

The Cradle.— Planing the corners off piece Fig. 189 
is a difficult matter, and to facilitate this a " cradle '* 

78 



The Dowelling Joint 



(Fig. 192) is made and kept for the purpose. The advantage 
of a cradle is obvious, preventing as it does any tendency 




Fig. 192. — Cradle for Planing Dowels. 

of the partly-formed dowel to slip or wobble. A jig, or 
cradle, is easily made by bevelling the edges of two separate 



Fig. I93» 





Fig. 194- M ^ig- 195. 



Fig. 193. — Dowel with Groove. 

Fig. 194. — ^Method of Grooving Dowels. 

Fig. 195. — Brace. 

pieces of wood and then glueing and screwing them together 
as at Fig. 192. A small block of wood is inserted to act 
as a stop whilst the planing operation is in progress. It 
is usual to bevel both edges of the timber from which the 

79 



Joints in Woodwork 

cradle is formed, thus accommodating all sizes of dowels 
from J in. to t in. in diameter. 

Fig. 193 shows a completed dowel with a small groove 
running along its entire length. The object of this groove 
is to allow the air and superfluous glue to escape and thus 
avoid splitting the work on hand ; the groove also secretes 
a certain amount of glue, which increases its hold on the 
timber. 

Fig. 194 shows the top portion of the end view of a 




Fig. 196. — Good and Bad Dowels. 

bench and illustrates the method of grooving the dowel 
longitudinally by means of a saw kerf. The dowel is 
secured in the bench screw as shown, and the top edge 
of the vice jaw acts as a guide to the tenon or dovetail saw 
whilst sawing the groove, or " saw kerf " as it is called. 

Dowelling. — Fig. 196 shows a broken drawing of two 
boards jointed by dowelling. The dowel on the right 
shows a very bad method ; the countersink, or rose bit 
(Fig. 197), and the dowel rounder (Fig. 198) have been 
too liberally made use of, and the dowel has been cut 
much too short to engage with the hole in the upper 
board. The illustration at the left shows what should 
obtain, viz., just sufficient clearance between the top of 
the dowel and the hole, and a very slight countersinking 
at the joint of the board. 

Regarding the use of the dowel rounder (Fig. 198), 
many experienced workmen delete this tool from their 

80 



The Dowelling Joint 

kit and prefer to slightly hammer the arris or sharp edge 
round the end of the dowel and thus crush the fibres so 
that they will expand when they come in contact with 
the liquid glue, and in this manner spread out and wedge 
tightly in the hole. 

Fig. 200 illustrates the method of marking out and 
gauging two boards for dowelling. The edges of the 
boards are first shot to a true joint ; then the face sides 



Fig. 197. — Countersink. 




■ ^*-^^ 



Fig. 198. —Dowel Rounder. 



Fig. 199. — ^Twist Bit. 

are placed together and the lines for the dowels are marked 
across the edges with a fine pencil and the aid of a try 
square. The boards are then gauged from the face side, 
thus giving the points indicated in the sketch. 

To start the twist bit. Fig. 199, it is a good plan to 
prick the board at the point of intersection of the marked 
lines with a sharp, circular-pointed marking awl. This 
obviates any tendency of the boring bit to run out of 
truth and thus cause unevenness on the face side of the 
jointed board. 

A safe rule for the spacing of dowels when jointing 
sideboard tops, dressing table and wardrobe ends, etc., 
is to place the dowels 9 ins. to 10 ins. apart, and place 
two dowels at each end as shown at Figs. 200 and 201. 

j.w. gl • 



Joints in Woodwork 

The length of the dowels should be about J in. to ij in. 
long. 
Fig. 201 shows the two boards prepared ready for 




Fig. 200. — Marking and Gauging Boards for Do welling. 

glueing. The upper one is bored to receive the dowels, 
and the lower one shows the dowels glued in position. It 
is customary to warm the edges of the boards before 




Fig. 201. — Boards ready for Glueing. 



Fig. 202. — Method 
of Dowelling 
Thick Timber. 



spreading the glue, and cramps are required to squeeze 
the joint tight. These should be left on the jointed board 
from one to four hours according to the state of the weather. 
In cas6s where thick timber (say 2 ins. or 2i-in. boards) 

82 



The Dowelling Joint 

is to be jointed, two rows of dowels may be used, the 
position of the dowels being alternated as at Fig. 202. 

VARIOUS APPLICATION OF DOWELLED JOINTS. 

Fig. 203 shows the plan of a 3-in. cornice pole made to 
fit a bay window ; the straight portions of the pole are 
generally turned in the lathe, the corner portions being 
afterwards jointed and worked up to the required shape. 




Fig. 203. — Method of Dowelling Cornice Pole by 
Means of Template. 



To avoid any difficulty in the setting out of the dowels, 
a disc of cardboard or sheet metal is made to the same 
diameter as that of the cornice pole ; this disc is called 
a template. The positions of the dowels are set out 
geometrically, and the centres are pricked through with 
a hne-pointed marking awl (see sketch of template, «, 
Fig. 203). The template is put on the ends of the straight 
pole, and the dowel centres are pricked into the wood. 
The process is repeated on the ends of the corner block 
(6, Fig. 203), and if the holes be now bored at the centres 
indicated a true fit will be obtained. 

Fig, 203 c shows two portions of the circrriar pole jointed 
up to a corner block, and the dotted Hues P indicate the 
direct line of pressure and shows the position for the 
cramp. When the glue is thoroughly set the corner block 

83 



Joints in Woodwork 

is sawn and spokeshaved to the desired shape as shown 
by the dotted line. This method is illustrated to show 
that, by the use of a suitable template, dowels may be 
exactly set out even when there is no straight or square 
face from which to use a marking gauge, and the method 
may, of course, be applied to many other examples of 
dowelHng at the discretion of the workman. 

Mitred Frame. — Fig. 204 shows a mitred and dowelled 
frame. One corner only is shown ; it needs httle or no 




Fig. 204. 
Dowelling a 
Mitred Frame, 



Fig. 205. — Table Leaf with Dowels. 



explanation beyond the fact that the dowels should be 
at right angles to the line of joint, and consequently the 
dowel at the outside edge of the frame will have to be 
much shorter than the others. This gives a strong and 
serviceable joint, suitable for many purposes. 

Dining Table. — Fig. 205 is a leaf for the screw type of 
table. Circular dowels are shown at one end, and rec- 
tangular wooden pegs at the other ; both methods are 
equally good, and, of course, the dowels are only glued into 
the leaf. The object of these dowels is to guide the table 
leaf into its proper position when the leaf engages with the 
table proper, and to make the flat surface of the table top 
and leaf register correctly and thus ensure a level surface. 

Frame Dowelling. — Fig. 206 shows one comer of a frame 
with long and short shoulder, such as occurs when the upright 
is rebated through its entire length. The holes in both pieces 

84 



The Dowelling Joint 



are bored for the dowels before they are rebated. This avoids 
any difficulty in endeavouring to bore with only one side 
of the twist bit in the wood. A similar type of joint is 
used on nearly all kinds of glass and door frames in 
cabinet work. 

Fig. 207 is a wooden block made in two portions and 
held together by screws ; it is used to fasten around a 
twist bit, the object being to ensure that all the dowel 
holes are of uniform depth. It may be adjusted as desired 




Fig. 206. — Frame 
DoweUing. 



Fig. 207. 
Block for 
Twist Bit. 




Fig. 208. — Shaped 
Rail. 



and firmly screwed round the twist-bit ; if the hole is 
made J in. in diameter it will clip round a J-in. or f-in. bit 
and will answer a dual purpose. It is a preventative for 
bad dowelling, as shown at Fig. 196. 

Fig. 208 is a shaped top rail, such as is used for a ward- 
robe glass frame, showing position of the dowel holes and 
the lugs left for cramping purposes. After the frame is 
glued up and thoroughly set the lugs are cut away along 
the dotted line and this gives the desired finished shape. 

Fig. 209 is an example of dowelling framing when the 
moulding on the edge has to be mitred. It is necessary 
to cut the shoulders away so as to allow the members 
of the moulding to intersect. The section of the mould 
is not shown in the sketch for clearness of representation. 
The portion marked H is called the " horn," and it is not 

85 



Joints in Woodwork 

cut off until after the frame is glued up ; its object is to 
prevent the rail splitting or bursting when knocking up 
the frame or during the cramping process. 

Fig. 210 shows the method of dowelling a moulded cap 
to the top of a wooden bedstead post or similar pillar 
where it is desired to avoid any unsightHness. 

Fig. 211 is a sideboard pillar, showing the dowelling 



^i^ 



^ 



Fig. 209. — Dowelling 
for Moulded Frame. 






Fig. 210. 
Cap. 



Fig. 211. 
Turned Pillar. 



of the bulbous or acorn portion to the upper and lower 
turned shaft. An iron double-pointed screw is used to 
connect the dowels in the interior (see sketch, broken 
drawing). 

Fig. 212 is a dining- table leg and portion of the framing, 
showing the method of dowelling the frame to the leg. 
Chairs, couch frames, etc., are made in a similar manner. 

Fig. 213 shows the top portion of a table leg and a 
home-made dowel gauge. The gauge is made of any 
hardwood, and steel wire pins are driven through at the 
required positions and sharpened similar to the spur of 
a marking gauge. The legs are sawn and planed up true 
and square, and the advantage of the gauge is that all 
legs are marked exactly alike and are therefore inter- 

86 



The Dowelling Joint 



changeable until glued up. A gauge of this type is easily 
and quickly made and may be kept for its specific purpose 
or altered for other work. 

Fig. 214 indicates the Queen Anne type of leg, a 
sketch of same broken below the knee also being given. 





A^~ 


7 


\ \ 
\ 1 




V * 




\ * 




\ * 




1 




'* 1 




/;';! 





Fig. 213. Fig. 214. 

Fig. 212. — Dowelling a Dining-Table Leg. 
Fig. 213. — Dowel Gauge Fig. 214 — Dowelling a 

for Legs. Cabriole Leg. 

Here we have another type of irregular setting out, which 
is accomplished in the following manner. Saw and plane 
the broken portion of the leg true as shown ; take the 
timber which is to be jointed and treat it in a similar 
manner ; now place four ordinary pins on the lower 
portion. Carefully place the top portion to the required 
position and smartly give it one tap with the hammer ; 
this will cause the pin-heads to leave indentations, and 

87 



Joints in Woodwork 



if these be taken as centres for boring, accurate work will 
result. The new portion of the leg is afterwards sawn 
and wrought to the desired shape. 

This is an example of work where it is next to impossible 
to use a gauge, and as only one joint is required it is not 
worth the time taken to make a template. 

Fig. 215 shows the doweUing of a pediment or top 
shaping on to a washstand back. The pediment is required 




|#r«|\#f#l#f 



lAJ 



Fig. 215. — DoweUing a Washstand Pediment. 

to be taken off from time to time for convenience of removal 
or re-polishing. As the shaping will come below the eye, 
screws at the top edge would appear unsightly ; thus 
doweUing is resorted to in this and similar cases. 

The tools used in doweUing are : Brace, twist-bit, 
dowel-rounder countersink, try-square, marking-awl, and 
the usual bench tools. The first four are illustrated at 
Figs. 195, 199, 198, and 197 respectively. 

The method of working is : Plane up, mark out, bore 
holes, countersink, glue dowels, and complete joints. 



88 



THE SCARF JOINT 

THE method known as " scarfing " is used for the 
joining of timber in the direction of its length, 
enabling the workman to produce a jomt with a 
smooth or flush appearance on all its faces. One 
of the simplest forms of scarfed joint is known as 
the half lap, in which a portion is cut out at the 
end of each beam or joist, equal in depth to half the full 




Fig. 216. — Half -Lap 
Scarf Joint. 



Fig. 217. — Dovetailed 
Scarf Joint. 



depth of the beam, and of equal length to the required 
scarf. 

89 



Joints in Woodwork 

The two pieces before they are placed together form a 
joint as shown at Fig. 216, the projecting part A fitting 
into the recessed portion marked B and the two pieces being 
secured in their respective positions by screws. 

Fig. 217 shows a dovetailed scarf joint. This is a varia- 
tion of Fig. 216, the length of the dovetail lap being from 
6 ins. to 8 ins. in length. 

Fig. 218 is an illustration of a joint designed to 




Fig. 218. — Joint Used in Roof Work. 

resist a cross strain. The face side is left flush, whilst 
the underside is assisted by an iron plate. The joint is 
secured with nuts, bolts, and washers. This type of joint 
is frequently used for joining " purlins " in roof work ; the 
iron plate on the underside is in this case omitted. 

Fig. 219 is designed to resist both tension and com- 
pression and is an excellent joint for all purposes. The 
joint is brought together by using folding wedges as shown 
in the centre. 

Fig. 220 is a variation of Fig. 219, and it will be noticed 
that tenons are provided on the face and underside to 
resist cross strain. Probably this joint is one of the best 
varieties of the scarfed joint. Unfortunately, however, 
its production is somewhat costly, and this may be the 

90 



The Scarf Joint 

reason that it is not more universally used. Folding 
wedges are used to secure the two pieces in position. 

Fig. 221 is a scarfed joint with undercut vee'd ends 
which prevent the joint from lipping up or down or side- 
ways. It is a useful joint, calling for careful setting out 
and accurate craftsmanship. Folding wedges are used 
in this case to draw up and secure the joint. 




Fig. 219. — Tenoned Scarf Joint. 




£ 




Fig. 220. — Double Tenoned Scarf Joint. 



\ 



-OL 



^y 




Fig. 221. — Scarf Joint with Vee'd ends. 

Fig. 222 is a " fished joint," and the following difference 
between a scarfed and fished joint should be noted. A 
fished joint need not necessarily reduce the total length 
of the beams to be joined, and fish plates of wood or iron 
(or a combination of both) are fastened at each side of 
the joint. In a scarf joint all surfaces are flush. In Fig. 222 
the beams are butt-jointed and secured by wooden plates 
and iron bolts. The upper plate is let into each beam, 
and the lower plate is provided with two wooden keys to 
prevent the beams sliding (or " creeping ") upon the lower 

91 



Joints in Woodwork 

plate. Iron nuts, bolts, and washers are used to complete 
the joint. 

The methods of scarfing and fish-jointiTig are many 
and varied, and, in selecting a joint, the nature of the 
pieces to be joined and the direction and the amount of the 
load should be carefully taken into consideration. 




Fig. 222. — Fished Joint. ^ 

The above joints come under the heading of carpentry, 
and the ordinary tools such as the saw, plane, boring-bit 
and chisel are all that are requisite and necessary to 
produce a sound and serviceable joint. Scarfed joints 
are generally of large size, and they are usually made by 
placing the work upon sawing trestles owing to the bench 
being too small to accommodate the large timbers. 



92 



THE HINGED JOINT 

ONE of the most common forms of hinged joint in 
use to-day is that formed by using the " butt " 
hinge, and many troubles experienced by the amateur, 
such as "hinge-bound," "stop-bound," and "screw- 
bound" doors, etc., are due to a lack of knowledge 
of the principles of hingeing. Hinges call for careful 
gauging and accurate fitting, otherwise trouble is certain 
to occur. 




Fig. 223. — Stop-bound 
Door. 





Fig. 224. — Butt hinge. Fig. 225. — Gauging. 

"BOUND" DOORS. 

Hinge-bound. — A door or box lid is said to be hinge- 
bound when the recess which contains the hinge is cut 
too deep. The frame and the body portion engage too 

93 



Joints in Woodwork 

tightly with each other when closed, the result being that 
the door has always a tendency to open a Uttle. This 
fault may be in many cases remedied by packing behind 
the hinge with one or two thicknesses of good stiff brown 
paper. For packing purposes such as this paper will be 
found to be of much more value than thin strips of wood 
or knife-cut veneer, the latter always having a great 
tendency to spHt when a screw or bradawl is inserted. 

A Stop-bound door is the name appHed when the door 
is not finished to exactly the same thickness as originally 
intended. This causes the door to bind on the stops at 
the back, as shown at Fig. 223. The difficulty may be 
remedied by thinning the door a little at the back, or 
slightly rounding away the portion which binds. 

Screw'-bound is a common fault often overlooked by 
the amateur. It is caused by using screws of which the 
heads are too large for the countersunk holes in the hinge, 
and may be avoided by slightly sinking the holes in the 
brasswork with a countersink or rose-bit. 



ALIGNMENT. 

Alignment. — Another fault that is fairly common is 
having the axes of the hinges out of alignment. Especially 
is this the case when three hinges are used to hang a 
wardrobe or other large door. It is absolutely necessary 
in all cases that the exact centre of the pivot-pin of the 
hinges should be in a straight line. 

Hingeing of Shape^Fronted Work. — Particular atten- 
tion to ahgnment is necessary when the body and the 
door frame are shaped on the face side. A familiar example 
that every reader may inspect for himself is the curved 
side of a railway carriage body and railway carriage door, 
where he will notice that a specially wide hinge' has to 
be used at the bottom of the door to give the necessary 

94 



The Hinged Joint 

alignment. Hinges fixed on work with their centres ou 
of truth are often overlooked by the inexperienced worker. 

IMPORTANCE OF GAUGING. 

Fig. 224 is a sketch of a brass butt hinge, open. Fig. 225 
illustrates a similar hinge closed, and shows the gauge 




Fig. 226. — ^Marking. Fig. 227. — Cutting the Recesa. 

set so that the point of the marker is exactly to the centre 
of the pivot-pin. This distance we will call C Now turn 
to Fig. 226. The distance C has been gauged from the 
face side of the frame. The gauge is then set to the thick- 
ness of the hinge at its thickest portion, and to prevent 
" hinge-bind " see that the gauge is set on the fine side. 
Remember that the tapered point of the steel spur or 
marking-awl will part the fibres of the timber a little 
more than the fine point, and give you a wider gauge line 
than was anticipated when you set the gauge. The inex- 

95 



Joints in Woodwork 

perienced worker nearly always overlooks this. The result 
is a hinge-bound door, the cause of which is not discovered 
by the worker because he is so sure that he has set the 
gauge correctly. The distance B, Fig. 226, shows the 
line gauged for the thickness of the hinge. 



HINGED JOINTS. 

Position of Hinges. — Another difficulty to the beginner 
is the position for his hinges, and it may here be stated 




Fig. 228. 
Paring. 



Fig. 229. 

Clearing. 



Fig. 230. 
The Recess. 



that the general rule is to carry a line across the face of 
the work from the inside of the cross rail and place the 
hinge at E, as Fig. 226. 

Sawing for the Recess. — After marking out for the 
hinge, as shown at Fig. 226, take a fine-toothed saw (a 
dovetail saw is considered the best) and saw down as 
shown at Fig. 227, care being taken not to cut beyond the 
gauge lines. In this sketch three saw kerfs are shown, 

96 



The Hinged Joint 

but if the hinge is of great length, say 5 or 6 ins., the 
removal of the waste wood will be greatly facilitated by 
the addition of intermediate saw kerfs. These cuts sever 
the cross fibres and allow the timber to be easily pared 
away in short lengths. 

Paring out the Recess. — Fig. 228 illustrates the method 
of paring away the wood by first cutting a small piece 
away up to the gauge Une. This forms a sort of trench 



Fig. 231. 




The Hingeing of a Box Lid. 



Fig. 232. 



or shoulder and prevents overcutting when taking away 
the bulk of the material. Fig. 229 shows the chisel clearing 
out the bottom of the recess, leaving it clean, smooth, 
and quite level. At Fig. 230 the recess is shown completed 
and ready for the hinge to be screwed in its position. 

Stopped Hinged Joints for Box Work. — Fig. 231 is 

a section through a small box similar to a lady's workbox 
(the back of the box in the illustration is enlarged in 
thickness to clearly show the position of the hinge). In 
this case the knuckle of the hinge is let into the woodwork 
until it is flush with the back of the box, and the gauge 

J.W. ^ ^^ 



Joints in Woodwork 



would have to be set to the total width of the hinge. The 
back edges of the Ud and the back edge of the lower portion 
of the box are planed away at an angle of 45 degs. as 
indicated by the dotted lines. 

Fig. 232 shows the same box with the lid open, and it 
will be observed that the chamfered edges come together 
and form a stop which prevents the lid falUng backwards 




Fig. 233. — Strap Hinge. 




Fig. 235. — Pivot Hinge 
for Screens. 



e 


- 


'?t 







Fig. 234. — Reversible or 
Double -folding Screen 
Hinge. 




Fig. 236. — Non -reversible 
Screen Hinge. 



and breaking the box. This method of letting-in the 
knuckle flush is a useful one for box work because the 
ordinary stock brass butt hinge can be used. Attention 
may, however, be called to the "stopped butt-hinge," 
which is specially made to answer the above purpose ; in 
its action the same mechanical principle as the one applied 
to the box is used. 

98 



The Hinged Joint 



VARIOUS HINGES. 

Types of Hinges.— Fig. 233 is an elongated variety of 
the butt hinge, known in the trade as " strap hinge," 
" desk hinge," or " bagatelle hinge." As its name indicates 
it is used on folding bagatelle tables, small writing desks, 
and other types of work that have but a narrow margin 




Fig. 237.-— Back Flap Hinge. 





Fig. 238. — Card Table Hinge 







Fig. 239. — Pivot Hinge. Fig. 240. — Rising Butt Hinge. 

on which to fix the hinges. The long, narrow plates are 
sunk flush into the wood, the knuckle or rounded portion 
projecting. 

Fig. 234 is an illustration of the reversible or double- 
folding screen hinge. Half the thickness of this hinge 
is let into each wing of the draught screen, allowing the 
screen to be folded either way. The hinge is costly, but 
effective in use. 

99 



Joints in Woodwork 



Fig. 235 is a type of pivot hinge which is used to fix at 
the top and bottom of a screen. 

Fig. 236 is the non-reversible screen hinge and, as its 
name imphes, will only fold in one direction. 

Fig. 237 is a back flap hinge with a specially wide wing, 
used for the fall-down leaf of small tables and similar 
articles. 

Fig. 238 is a card table hinge. This is let into the edges 
of the table, so that all is flush or level both above and 
below the surface. 

Centre or Pivot Hinges. — Fig. 239 is a centre or pivot 
hinge, used on the top and bottom of wardrobe doors, 
more particularly the interior door of a three-winged 
wardrobe where the method of fixing is confined to the 
cornice and pHnth. The portion carrying the pins or 
pivot is let into the top and bottom of the door, the remain- 
ing (or female) portion being let into the cornice and pHnth 
respectively. 

Rising Butt Hinges. — Fig. 240 is the rising butt hinge, 
used on dining and drawing room doors, so that when the 
door is opened the door rises sufficiently to clear the 
thickness of the carpet. This hinge has also an advantage 
over the ordinary butt hinge in that it is self-closing, 
i.e., the weight of the door plus the bevel on the hinge 
joint causes the door to close. Band and hook hinges and 
other ordinary varieties are too well known to require 
illustrating. 

HINGEING IN AN ACUTE ANGLE. 

Fig. 241 is a sectional drawing of a corner cupboard 
showing a good method of hingeing the door. The inset a 
shows an enlarged view of the corner carrying the hinge, 
also the adaptor piece c, which is fitted to the inside edge 
of the cupboard so that the hinged edges are at 90 degs. 
to the face. This is a far better and stronger method than 

100 



The Hinged Joint 

that shown at h, which is often attempted with disastrous 
results. The incorrect method h allows insufficient wood 
for fixing purposes, and in nearly all cases the thin edge 




Fig. 241. — Hingeing Door of Comer Cupboard. 



of the door breaks away during the making and fitting, 
or soon after completion. The adaptor piece may have 
a face mould worked upon it to give a pilaster-hke appear- 
ance if fancy so dictates. 




Fig. 242. — Inside Hingeing. 




i*ig. 243. — Section. 



INSIDE HINGEING. 

Fig. 242 is a sketch of one end of the lower carcase of 
a kitchen dresser, the door frame being hinged inside the 
carcase. In common work and in Ught cabinet work it 



lOI 



Joints in Woodwork 



is permissible to let the whole thickness of the hinge into 
the door ; and when screwing the door to the carcase it 
is usual to fix the knuckle of the hinge flush with the face 
of the carcase, thus allowing the door frame to stand 
back, making a break of about \ in. with the face. The 
marking gauge should be set to the full width of the 
hinge ; the mark, gauged on the inside of the carcase end, 
thus forms a line to guide the worker whilst fixing the 





Fig. 244. — Outside Hingeing. Fig. 245. — Section. 



door. To successfully fix a door it generally requires two 
persons, one to hold the door in position, whilst the other 
bores the holes and fixes the screws. 

Fig. 243 shows the correct method of fitting butt hinges 
on high-class work. One wing of the hinge is let into the 
door, and the other wing is let into the carcase or door jamb, 
thus distributing a proportion of the weight to the carcase 
end instead of allowing the whole of the weight to be 
carried by the screws as would be the case in a, Fig. 241. 
The method of sinking each portion of the hinge into 
the door and carcase respectively is costly ; hence it is 
not the general practice in cheap work. 

103 



The Hinged Joint 

OUTSIDE HINGEING. 

Fig. 244 illustrates the portion of a door frame and 
carcase end when the door is hung on the face of the 
carcase. The correct method of letting in the hinge is 
shown in the enlarged drawing (Fig. 245), but, as previously 
mentioned, the hinge may have its entire thickness let 
into the door frame where it is of a Ught character. The 
door frame projects sHghtly over the carcase end, and 




Fig. 246. — Fall Front of Writing Bureau. 

occasionally a bead mould is worked on the edge of the 
door so as to give a finish and partly hide the joint. The 
bead would, of course, be the same size as the diameter 
of the knuckle of the hinge ; and the knuckle, therefore, 
will form a continuation of the bead and give a workman- 
shiphke finish. 



FALL FOR WRITING BUREAU. 

Fig. 246 is a view (one end removed) of a fall front 
writing bureau fitted with centre or pivot hinges and 
arranged so that the edges form a stop when the desk 
front is turned to a horizontal position. The position for 
the fitting of the brass plates carrjring the pivot-pin is 
somewhat awkward ; but, by first sinking the plates into 

103 



Jomts in Woodwork 



the carcase ends, and then slotting the edges of the fall, 
it will be found that the fall front may be put in from 
its horizontal position, and that sufficient room is left to 
enable the screwdriver to be manipulated without incon- 
venience. 




Fig. 247. — Revolving Fly Rail for Table. 



REVOLVING FLY RAIL. 

Fig. 247 is a sketch of a small table with the top removed. 
A revolving fly rail is shown pivoted upon a piece of J-in. 
wire. The object of this fly rail is to form a support to 
the small hinged drop-leaf of the table. This method is 
suitable for small occasional tables and similar articles. 



HINGEING DRAUGHT SCREENS. 

Fig. 248 illustrates a portion of a draught screen which 
is constructed of a hght framework and covered with 

J04 



The Hinged Joint 

baize or American cloth. The reversible double-folding 
hinge (Fig. 234) would answer admirably for such a screen. 
Cases occur, however, where it is desired to hinge a screen 
to be used for an invalid's bedside, gind it is then important 







cO' 



t>' 




B A 

Fig. 248. — Hingeing Draught Screens. Fig. 249. — Plan. 

that all draught should be excluded through the jointed 
edges. The double reversible hinge will not fulfil these 
conditions, and the following method is therefore adopted. 
In the plan, Fig. 249, A and B, two laths of hardwood 
(beech, birch or mahogany answer splendidly) are shown. 
They are made the same length and the same width as 
the edges of the screen, the corners being sHghtly rounded 
away. 

105 



Joints in Woodwork 



A doublc'-folding, draught-proof hinge is then made 
as follows. Procure good fine webbing, about ij in. wide, 
and the necessary large-headed tacks. Lay the laths side 
by side as shown in the elevation, Fig. 249, and proceed 
to web them as shown. Commence with the web under 
the lath A ; bring it between the laths and over B ; now 
take it round the left-hand edge of B, and round the back 




Fig. 250. — Finger Joint. 

and between the laths and over A, continuing this method 
of wrapping the laths until the lower end is reached, and 
then fastening the webbing as indicated by the dotted lines 
which represent the tacks. This self-contained hinge is 
then fixed to the edges of the screen by boring suitable 
holes through the laths and using countersunk screws. 
This is a cheap and efficient method of overcoming the 
difficulty. 

FINGER JOINT. 

Fig. 250 is a finger joint — a movable interlocking joint 
used to support the leaf of a Pembroke table. The small 
portion is screwed to the table rail and the shaped bracket 

106 



The Hinged Joint 

swings out to support the drop leaf. The shaded portion 
of the bracket shows the timber chamfered away so that 
the fingers may be easily put behind the bracket to manipu- 
late it. Note that the corners are slightly rounded off, as 
indicated by the black portion of the sketch, and that 
the mortises are cut about J in. deeper than the thickness 
of the timber used. This joint has now been almost super- 
seded by a cheap stamped galvanised iron bracket of 




Fig. 251. — The Knuckle Joint Hinge. 

exactly the same pattern sold at about ^i. per pair. The 
joint, however, is still used for repair work and in cases 
where a stamped metal bracket has not sufficient overhang. 



KNUCKLE JOINT. 

Fig. 251 is a similar type of joint to the above, and is 
called the knuckle joint. This arrangement of hingeing 
allows the table leg to swing in an angle of 180 degs. and 
is much neater in its appearance. It is often used to 
connect a movable table leg to the framing, where it is 
necessary for the table leg and rail to swing outwards 
and support a drop leaf. The pivot is formed by a piece 
« 107 




China Cabinet. 
Showing the use of loose Pilaster when hingeing, 

io8 



The Hinged Joint 

of J-in. or J-in. round iron rod running through the centre 
of the joint. 

OPEN JOINT HINGEING. 

The remaining illustrations apply more particularly to 
the hanging of the ordinary household door. 




Fig. 252. — Open Joint Hingeing. 

Fig. 252 is termed " open joint hanging," from the fact 
that when the door is open a certain amount of open 




Fig- 253. — Clearing the Architrave Mould. 

space exists between the edge of the door and the doorpost. 
This open space varies according to the position in which 
the butt hinge is fixed. A section is shown at which the 
• 109 



Joints in Woodwork 

pin of the hinge is let in level with the face of the door. 
This will allow the door to open as shown by the dotted 
line, and it will not clear the architrave moulding. 

HINGEING TO CLEAR THE ARCHITRAVE MOULD. 

Fig- 253 indicates the position of the hinge fixed so as 
to allow the door to open and lay fiat back to the architrave 
moulding. In this instance the butts are made with 
wider wings, and they are generally provided to take 
three screws (see Fig. 237, right-hand wing of hinge). 







. Fig. 254. — Close Joint Hingeing. 

To determine the position of the centre pin of the hinge 
the following rule is observed. The centre of the pivot pin 
of the hinge must be half the distance between the face of 
the door, when closed, and the outside of the architrave 
moulding. 

CLOSE JOINT HINGEING. 

The method known as " close joint hanging " ensures 
the joint at the hanging stile being in close proximity to 
the hanging rail ; this is shown at Fig. 254. The first 
member of the architrave moulding is generally a bead 
of the same diameter as the knuckle of the hinge. The 
butt hinge is let in as shown in the illustration, and the 
door when opened forms a close-fitting joint. 

110 



SHUTTING JOINTS. 



THIS chapter deals with the joint made by the upright 
rail of a door frame which carries the lock, or handle, 
generally called the " slamming stile." Many and 
varied are the methods used to make a draught and 
air-tight joint at the meeting of the slamming stile 
and the carcase end, and our sketches illustrate 
some of the simplest and also some of the best and most 
expensive methods. 








Fig. 255. 



Fig. 256. 




Fig. 257. Fig. 258. 

Illustrations of Cupboard Door Joints. 

Fig. 255 is a part plan of the end of a simple cupboard 
of which the carcase end is all of one thickness {i.e., not 
lined up in thickness) . A small strip of wood is glued and 
screwed on the end to form a stop to the door and to 
prevent the access of dust to the interior of the cupboard. 

Fig. 256 illustrates a similar method ; the piece A has 

a bead formed on the back edge instead of the chamfer 

shown in the previous illustration. The carcase end in 

this case is lined up to give a pilaster-like appearance to 

• III 



Joints in Woodwork 

the end, and the moulding is selected on account of its 
suitability to hide the joint of the lining piece. 

Fig. 257 is similar to Fig. 256. A bead moulding has, 
however, been worked on the edge of the door stile to 
hide the joint between the door and the end. In this 
case a similar bead would be worked on the hinged stile 
to match. 

Fig. 258 is of a more intricate type, and is often used 
on jewellers' showcases. The end at the right hand is 



Fig. 259. — Meeting Stiles. 



Fig. 2C0. 
Showing Rebated Astragal. 



Fig. 261. 
Showing Brass Astragal. 



slightly rebated to receive the frame, and both the rail 
and the end are grooved with a plough plane. A separate 
bead is made and glued into the groove of the door frame, 
engaging with the groove in the carcase end when the 
door is closed. 

The slamming stile and the end are worked with a 
hook joint, and if carefully made they are practically 
dust-tight. 

Fig. 259 shows the meeting of two doors which open 
outwards, a separate piece of timber being made to form 
a rebated astragal mould and glued to the right-hand 
door. This method gives a neat and effective finish. 

Fig. 260 is similar to the above, with the exception that 
the rail of the door is rebated to receive the astragal 
moulding. This method is preferred on the best class of 
work, because it shows no unsightly joint at the inside 
of the door frame. 

112 



Shutting Joints 

Fig. 261 illustrates the type of joint made by using a 
brass astragal mould as employed on high-class work. 

Fig. 262 is a sketch of a piece of brass astragal moulding, 
which may be procured from any cabinet-maker's iron- 
monger in suitable lengths. It is fixed in position by 
slightly rebating the edge of the door and fastening with 
ordinary countersunk brass screws. 

Fig. 263 is a rebated joint, broken at the front by a 
double bead moulding. The illustration shows its appHca- 
tion to a circular-fronted cupboard, and it will be noticed 




Fig. 262. Fig. 263. — Curved Cupboard Doors with 
Brass Astragal. Double-headed Rebated Joint. 

that the hinged rails are received in a rebate which is 
worked on the carcase ends. The rebated joint at the 
centre of the two doors is worked sHghtly on the bevel, so 
as to allow for clearance when opening the door. 

Fig. 264, is the hook joint used on good-class joinery and 
cabinet work. A pair of special wood planes are required 
to make the joint in a cheap and efficient manner. The 
cost of a pair of f-in. hook joint planes is from 5s. to 6s. 
They are of similar size and general appearance to the 
ordinary ovolo moulding plane. 

Fig. 265 is a special type of hook joint as used on larger 
work. The joint may be made by using the plough plane, 
the rebate plane, and a suitably-sized bead plane, the 
loose tongues being inserted as shown and fastened by 
screws and glue. 

Fig. 266 is a rebated joint with loose tongue-slip and 
,.w. ^ JJ3 



Joints in Woodwork 

astragal mould, suitable for frames over i J in. in thickness. 
The loose tongue-slip is glued into the right-hand door 
frame. 



Fig. 264. — Hook Joint. 




Fig. 265. — Special Type of Hook Joint. 




Fig. 266. — Rebated Joint with Tongue Slip. 




Fig. 267. — Dust-proof Drawer Joint. 

Fig. 267 shows a shutting joint used to prevent permea- 

114 



Shtitting Joints 

tion of dust to the interior of a drawer. The drawer 
front is grooved and engages with a suitably-formed slip 
which is screwed to the bearer as at Fig. 268. Occasionally 
some difficulty is experienced when fitting the slip to a 
narrow drawer, but this can always be overcome by 
putting in the screws from the top of the bearer instead 
of from underneath. 



"M 



I 



Fig. 268. — Detail of Drawer. 





Fig. 269. — Draught Preventer. Fig. 270. — Window Sill Joint. 

Fig. 269 is a sketch of a flexible draught-preventer made 
by inserting a rubber core A in strong canvas and cement- 
ing the joint. This can be obtained ready-made, and is 
used to put round any household door to check draught 
and noise. It is simply tacked in position with |-in. tacks. 

Fig. 270 is a sectional view of a window closing on to 
the sill which clearly shows how the joint may be made 
draught and rain proof ; i and i show the inserted slips. 

Shutting joints which are required to be 'Might-tight," 
such as those used in photographic work, are generally 
formed by slightly grooving the frame and inserting a 
strip of black velvet. The friction of the high pile of the 
velvet prevents the filtration of any light through the 
joint. 

• 115 » 2 



Joints in Woodwork 

When making airtight showcases, one of the best and 
simplest tests is to place a lighted candle in the case and 
close all the doors ; if the candle goes out within three 
minutes you have accomplished your object. 

For the making of all the above joints a half-set of 
hollow and round planes, a J-in., J-in., and i-in. rebate 
plane and a plough plane will be all that are required. 
Of course, those of our readers who possess a Stanley 
adjustable moulding plane will be able to dispense with 
the above tools. 



ii6 



THE DOVETAIL JOINT 



N'OTHING definite is known as to the origin of dove 
tailing, but a quaint and pleasing little story which 
is well worth repeating runs as follows : — Joyner 
Wood was called by Farmer Giles to do sundry 
repairs at the homestead. One day, whilst enjoying 
his dinner hour, he espied four doves occupying a 
position similar to that in our illustration. This suggested 
to him the idea of jointing his timber by the interlocking 
method ; hence we have dovetails (Fig. 271). 




Fig. 271. — Dovetails. 



Fig. 272. — Through 
Dovetail. 



Through Dovetailing. — One of the simplest forms of 
the dovetail joint is shown in Fig. 272, where two pieces 
of timber are joined by the method known as " through " 
dovetailing. This method is used in everyday practice 
for joining the comers of frames, bracket trusses, and 
a hundred and one other articles. 

Fig. 273 shows the method of through dovetailing as 
applied to the making of boxes, phnths, and general 

117 



Joints in Woodwork 

carcase work ; it is used in positions where no objection 
can be taken to the end grain showing on each side of the 
finished work. In the case of phnths and furniture cornices 
the foundation frame is made of yellow pine or other cheap 
wood, and the more expensive and rare timbers are glued 
and mitred around in various thicknesses and shapes, thus 
saving the more costly material and strengthening the 
construction by the method known as laminating. In 




Fig. 273. — Dovetails for 
Boxes, etc. 



Fig. 274. — Lap -Dovetailing. 



many cases all that is necessary is to veneer the face sides, 
thus covering and hiding any unsighthness. 

Lap-dovetailing. — Fig. 274 is an example of lap- 
dovetailing, such as is used where a drawer side joins with 
the drawer front. It is not permissible to allow the end 
grain of the timber to show at the front of a drawer, and 
this is why lap-dovetailing is resorted to. 

It is safe to say that the greatest use of the dovetail 
joint is for this and similar purposes, and we shall therefore 
deal fully with the methods of marking out and the making 
of this class of joint. 

Angles. — A most important point in the construction 
of a dovetail is to avoid navmg the angles of the pins and 
tails too acute. An inclination of one in eight is considered 

118 



The Dovetail Joint 

correct ; no hard and fast rule need be obeyed, but the 
variation should on no account be less than one in six. 

Fig. 275 shows a simple method to obtain the correct 
angle. Take a piece of timber and plane up the face edge 
true and straight ; mark out a hne at right angles to the 
face edge and space off 8 ins. as shown ; now measure a 
distance of i in. on either side of the line, and join this 
point to point eight. This will give the correct angle for 
the dovetails, and it may be transferred to the joiners' 
bevel as shown. Many workers who are constantly on 





Fig. 275. — Setting out Fig. 276. — Faulty Cut; 
Bevels for Dovetails. a shows where 

Fracture will occur. 



dovetail work make a zinc template to the exact angle 
and keep it specially for the purpose. Fig. 276 shows the 
result of cutting dovetails at an incorrect angle, the line a 
indicating where fracture will take place owing to shortness 
of grain. 

Squaring. — Another important point to remember is 
that the drawer sides must be true and squared to an 
exact length and planed up to thickness ; otherwise the 
finished drawer will be in winding and out of square. 

To true and square the ends of drawer sides, drawer 
backs and drawer fronts, a most useful little machine is 
the mitre trimmer ; faiUng this, excellent results can be 
obtained by using the shooting board. 

Gauging. — After squaring up the timber accurate 
gauging of the ends is another important point. The 

"9 



Joints in Woodwork 

gauge used should be a cutting gauge, so that the line is 
incised about -^ in. in depth, thus effectually cutting 
the cross fibres of the timber. 

Fig. 277 shows the method of using the cutting gauge. 
The stock of the gauge must be held well up to the end 
of the timber. The gauge is a most difficult tool for the 
novice to use, and his trouble is generally caused by 
holding it too fiat. Tilt the gauge a little, so that the 




Fig. 277. — Method of Marking 
with Cutting Gauge. 



Fig. 278. — Squaring 
Lines across End. 



thumbscrew shown in the illustration goes nearer to the 
floor ; the blade will then not bite so keenly, and better 
results will be obtained. The dotted lines indicate the 
positions which the dovetails will occupy when marked out. 

The gauge is set a trifle less than the thickness of the 
drawer sides so as to allow for the thickness of the steel 
cutter, and a gauge line is marked on the inside of the 
drawer front and all round the drawer back. The gauge 
is now readjusted so as to leave a J-in. lap on the drawer 
front, and a line is marked on the ends of the drawer 
front and all round the ends of the drawer sides, which 
will engage with the drawer front. A glance at Figs. 274 
and 277 will make this quite clear. 

The dovetail pins on the drawer front and the drawer 

120 



The Dovetail Joint 

back are now spaced out and marked on the end with 
the aid of the joiners' bevel, the lines being then squared 
down to the gauge line by the method shown at Fig. 278 — 
that is, by using the try-square and marking awl. 

Sawing. — The drawer front is now put into the 
bench vice, and the pins are cut as shown at Fig. 279. 
The drawer back is treated in a similar manner, but of 
course in this case it is not " lap " but " through " dove- 
tailing, and the saw kerf goes through the timber and 
down to the gauge line. 




Fig. 270. — Method 
of Sawing Pins. 




Fig. 280. — A Method of 
Roughing in Dovetails. 



We now come to the point where it is necessary to 
remove the superfluous material. Fig. 280 shows a method 
commonly adopted and known as sawing out the waste ; 
the saw is held at an angle and part of the inside portion 
of the dovetail is cut away as shown. This is a good plan 
for the amateur, because it clearly shows him at the 
commencement of his chopping out which will be the pin 
and which the tail. 

Fig. 28a: shows another method that answers well for 
soft woods such as pine, American whitewood and satin 
walnut. The drawer front is laid fiat on the bench after 
it has been sawn, and with a mallet and sharp chisel the 
corner of the dovetail is knocked off as shown. This takes 
the bulk of the material away and the dovetail is then 
pared out square in the usual way. 

121 



Joints in Woodwork 

A third method is shown at Fig. 282. With hard, curly 
timbers, such as tobacco mahogany and satinwood, it is 
a laborious process to carefully chop away the timber i;n 
small pieces, and to overcome this difficulty we occasionally 
see the workman take a twist-bit and bore a series of 
holes as shown. A great portion of the timber may then 
be split away by inserting the chisel end-way into the 
grain, after which it is pared to a finish. 

As dovetailmg is chiefly used for drawer making, it will 
be of interest to give several illustrations of variations of 
the joint and its uses. 





Fig. 281. — Roughing in Lap- Fig. 282. — Roughing 

Dovetail Pins with Chisel. out by Boring. 



MARKING DRAWER SIDES. 

Fig. 283 indicates the method of marking the position 
of the holes in the drawer side. When the paring out of 
the dovetails is completed the drawer front is turned 
over on to the side as shown, and the position of the 
recesses which will engage with the pin portions are marked 
with the marking awl as illustrated. 

The completed drawer back is marked on the sides in 
an exactly similar manner. 

Another method of marking through dovetails is shown 
at Fig. 284. The side is held in position on the end, and 
the dovetail saw is inserted and drawn out of the saw kerf, 
thus leaving the exact mark on the drawer back. 

122 



The Dovetail Joint 

Other workers prefer a pounce-bag instead of a saw. 
A pounce-bag consists of a piece of fairly open woven 
muslin filled with a mixture of French chalk and finely- 
powdered whiting ; the muslin is tied up with a piece of 
thin twine like the mouth of a flour sack. All that is 
necessary is to place the timber in position, as Fig. 284, 
and bang the bag on the top of the saw-cuts, when sufficient 





Fig. 283. — Marking Dovetail 
Pins on Drawer Side with 
Marking Awl. 



Fig. 284. — Marking 
through Dove- 
tails with Saw 
Blade. 



powder will pass through the bag and down the saw kerf 
to mark the exact positions of the lines. 



SAWING THE DOVETAILS. 

After marking out the pins on the drawer sides, we 
proceed with the next operation, that is, sawing the dove- 
tails ready for chopping out the waste material. The 
drawer side is taken and firmly secured in the bench screw 
and sawn as at Fig. 285 ; it is most important that the 
saw kerf is kept inside the line which has been scratched 
by the marking awl. See Fig. 286, where the dotted line 
represents the gauge line and the thick outside lines indicate 
the scores of the marking awl. Failure to observe this 

123 



Joints in Woodwork 

condition will result in faulty dovetailing, and it will 
also prove the necessity for using a finely-toothed and 




Fig. 285. 

Sawing 

Drawer 

Side. 



Fig. 286. 

Showing 

Gauge Lines 

and Scores. 



Fig. 287. 
Holding 
Drawer Side 
in Vice. 



thin-bladed dovetail saw. The writer has found an 8-in. 
dovetail saw to be the most convenient for drawer work. 
We now come to the point where it is necessary to cut 




Fig. 288. 
Cutting Channel. 



Fig. 289. 

Showing Faulty Removal 

of Waste Core. 



away the waste wood (or core), and the usual procedure is 
to saw away the half-dovetails a. Fig. 285. With care, 
this can be accomplished with the dovetail saw, thus 
avoiding unnecessary labour and the use of the paring 

124 



The Dovetail Joint 



chisel. Fig. 287 illustrates the method of holding the 
drawer side in the bench vice whilst the operation is 
completed. 

After sawing, the drawer side is placed flat upon the 
bench, one end in contact with the bench to prevent the 
drawer side from slipping away ; a chisel (preferably 
bevelled edged) of suitable width is now taken and a small 
channel is cut as at a. Fig. 288. The method of cutting 





m 


f=f 




i 

^ 




\ w 


f\ (\ f 


/ ^ 


OAUQC 


Uz.^ 


ix. 


s 


t 




Fig. 290. — Cutting several 
Dovetails at once. 



Fig. 291. — Frame Joint, 
showing parts separated. 



this channel is shown in the same illustration. The 
chisel-cut is started about J in. from the gauge line ; the 
cut is made right up to the gauge Une, which (when gauging) 
was made -^ in. deep so as to cut the cross fibres of the 
timber. A small piece of waste wood will, therefore, come 
away as at a. 

The object of cutting this small channel is so that, when 
the chisel is held vertically on the gauge line and struck 
with the mallet, the chisel will have no tendency to force 
its way backward and overshoot the gauge line. The 
waste or core is now removed by holding the chisel approxi- 
mately vertical and applying sufficient power to drive it 
halfway through the timber. The drawer side is now 
turned over, the operation repeated, and the core pushed 

125 



Joints in Woodwork 

out. Care must be exercised whilst cutting away the 
core B, Fig. 289, to ensure the chisel being held nearly 
perpendicular ; if too much lead (or bevel) be given, a 
faulty and undercut dovetail, as shown at a, Fig. 289, 
will be the result. Undercut dovetails prevent a proper 
grip of the glue ; they give a weak joint, and often cause 
the face of the drawer side to be sphntered whilst driving 
up the joint. If it be necessary to ease one or two shavings 
from off the drawer side whilst fitting the completed drawer 
in the carcase, the joint will show a greater gap as each 
succeeding shaving is removed. In common work, especi- 
ally in soit timbers, many workers allow the pins of a 
drawer back to run through the sides about j^g in. and 
hammer down the pins of the dovetail. This is called 
" bishoping the dovetails," and is unnecessary if the work 
be properly made and fitted. 

An alternative method of dovetailing is that of cutting 
the dovetails first, as shown at Fig. 290. Four or six 
drawer sides are placed in the vice and the dovetails are 
sawn at one operation. A little lead (or bevel) from front 
to back is given whilst sawing, and if this method be used 
care must be taken to see that the parts of the drawer 
sides which will be on the inside of the completed drawer 
are towards the worker, or the lead will be given to the 
dovetails in the wrong direction. After sawing the dove- 
tails in this manner the sides are placed in their respective 
positions on the drawer fronts or backs, and marked with 
a pounce-bag or by using the saw-blade method. The 
pins are then cut in the usual way, care being taken that 
the saw kerf be on the outside of the marks, otherwise the 
pins will finish too slack to engage ^ith the tails. 



VARIATION OF THE DOVETAIL JOINT. 

Frame Dovetails. — Fig. 292 is a sketch of a construc- 
tional frame such as is used for building up a cornice or 
plinth. At the joint marked a a housed barefaced dovetail 

126 



The Dovetail Joint 

is shown. Another view of the joint, separated, is sketched 
at a, Fig. 291, and it will be seen that the dovetail can be 
put together either from the top or the bottom of the 
framing as all its edges are parallel ; glue is reUed upon 
to hold it in position. The centre stretcher rail at Fig. 292 
is similar, except that in this case it is a complete dovetail 
in place of a barefaced one. 




Fig. 292. — Dovetail Joints Fig. 293. — Top Portion of 
in Framing. Frame Division. 



Some workers, when making either of the above joints, 
prefer to give a slight bevel to the dovetail, so that it 
drives tightly into the housing when put together. 

A variation of this type of dovetail is frequently used 
to joint internal uprights to the horizontal shelves of 
writing desks, cabinets, and bookcases, etc. The dove- 
tailed portion is parallel for about three-fourths of its 
width ; the remaining part is tapered towards the front 
edge and notched away at the face so as to conceal the 
method of construction. An illustration of the top portion 
of a division 14 ins. wide is shown at Fig. 293, and, of 
course, the other portion is trenched and dovetailed to 
fit it. 

Blind Lap'Oovetailing. — At 6, Fig. 292, is shown a 
127 



Joints in Woodwork 

type of blind lap-dovetailing. This makes a good, sound 
joint, but it has the disadvantage of showing a small 
portion of the timber of the front rail end-way of the 
grain. A little sketch of the joint separated has been shown 
at h. Fig. 291. Joints of this kind are used for cornices, 
boxes, etc., and also for painted furniture. 

A Mitred Dovetail joint is illustrated at Fig. 292, c : it 
is used in all the better class of cabinet and box work. 
Fig. 294 shows one of the pieces separated ; note the 
mitre at the top and bottom edge. 




Fig. 294. 
One Piece 
Separated. 




Fig. 295. 
Housed and 
Mitred Dove- 
tail. 



Fig. 296. 
Marking out a 
Housed and 
Mitred Dovetail. 



Housed and Mitred Dovetail.— Fig. 295 is another 
form of dovetail — commonly called a housed and mitred 
or rebated and mitred dovetail. In this instance we see 
that the joint is not mitred at the top and bottom edge, 
and when used in plinth or cornice work, or for making 
tea-caddies, etc., the edges are (when completing the 
work) covered either with the moulding, which is planted 
on the cornice or plinth, or with the top and bottom of 
the box or tea-caddy. A complete plan and a sketch of 
one piece separated is shownn. 

Fig. 296 shows the method of marking out a housed 
and mitred dovetail. The ends to be joined are planed 
up true and square and then rebated as shown. The 
dotted lines indicate the portion which has been worked 

128 



The Dovetail Joint 

away. The dovetails are now sawn and pared out in the 
usual way and the part denoted by the arrow is afterwards 
cut away with a chisel and finally finished to a smooth 
surface with a rebate plane ; the method of working is 
shown at Fig. 297, where the dovetail pins are seen with 
the waste portions cut away. 

Fig. 297 also shows the method of cutting away the mitred 
part. A temporary piece of wood is planed to a true 




Fig. 297. — Working a Housed ' Fig. 298. — Dovetail 
and Mitred Dovetail. Keying. 

mitre and placed underneath the dovetailed piece to form 
a template. Both pieces of the timber are now secured 
to the bench with a handscrew or cramp ; the template A 
will form a guide for the chisel and rebate plane and allow 
a sharp edge or arris to be worked on the mitre. 

Dovetail Keying. — Fig. 298 is a method used to prevent 
wide boards such as signboards, wide and shaped pedi- 
ments, etc., from casting or warping. It is called dovetail 
keying, and two methods are shown. Beyond calling 
attention to the fact that the angles at the edges of the 
keys, where they are bevelled, should be at or about 
75 degs., nothing further need be said, as the drawing is 
self-explanatory. Angle dovetail keying is shown at 
Fig. 298A. 

J.w. ^ 129 * 



Joints in Woodwork 

Dovetails for Small Boxes.— Fig. 299 is a good way 
to prepare small boxes, such as negative boxes and cases 
for scientific instrument cases. Fig. 299, C, shows a sketch 
of the ends jointed ; A and B are the pieces separated. 




Fig. 298A. — ^Dovetail Keying on the Angle. 

and the plan E D illustrates the method of rounding 
away the corners. The radius dies away at the joint, 
practically hiding the joint line. 




Fig. 299.— 
Dovetails for 
Small Boxes. 



B — n — 1 

rVAN 

K — LJ — ^ 



Fig. 300.— 
Dovetailed 
Footstool. 




Fig. 301.— 
Dovetailed 
Curved Work. 



OTHER VARIETIES OF THE JOINT. 

Fig. 300 is a small footstool with stretcher rail, which 
would be finished by webbing and upholstering the top ; 
this shows the application of dovetaiUng when the timber 

130 



The Dovetail Joint 

is too small to admit of dowelling or tenoning. Plan and 
part sketch are shown. 

Fig. 301. — An everyday method of jointing circular- 
fronted cabinet door frames. Great care must be taken 
in setting out and making, or a twisted frame will result. 

Fig. 302. — A familiar example of dovetailing the bearer 
to the carcase end of a dressing table or washstand. 

Fig. 303. — Lap-dovetaihng the top of a wardrobe to 




Fig. 302. — Dovetailed Bearer Rail showing 
the Bearer for the Back. 



the carcase end. Other examples, such as the top of a 
bookcase to the sides, will suggest themselves. 

Fig. 304. — Side view of a jewel drawer with a moulded 
drawer front as used on dressing tables, etc. This shows 
the necessity of bevelled dovetailing in order that the 
drawer front may be kept as thin and light as possible. 

Fig. 305. — Bevelled dovetaiHng when pins are at right 
angles to the end cut. Fig. 306 shows the joint separated. 

Fig. 307. — Bevelled dovetaiHng when the centre Hne 
of the pins is parallel to the edges of the work, used for 
making "hoppers," food troughs, knife boxes, etc. 

Fig. 308. — An example of oblique dovetaiUng, as used 
on " hoppers " when one piece is vertical and the other 
piece is incUned. 

131 



Joints in Woodwork 

Fig. 309. — Method of dovetailing small boxes. The 
box is dovetailed in one width and the top and bottom 
glued on ; the sides and ends are then cut along the dotted 




Fi^- 303- — Lap- Fig. 304. — Jewel Fig. 305. — Bevelled 

Dovetailing. Drawer Side. Dovetailing. 

line, thus forming the lid. It will be noticed that a specially 
wide dovetail pin must be left so as to form part of the 
lid and part of the lower portion. 




Fig. 306. — Bevelled Dovetailing. 
Parts separated. 



VZ7 

Fig. 307. — Bevelled 
Dovetailing with 
J Pins parallel to 
Edges. 



SETTING OUT AND MARKING THE DOVETAIL 

JOINT. 

For constructing a dovetail joint at the corner of a 
frame, as Fig. 310, it is necessary to trim up the ends of 

132 



The Dovetail Joint 

the timber square and true, as at Fig. 311. This may be 
accomplished by neatly sawing to the hne and paring 
the end of the wood with a sharp chisel, or by bringing 
the wood to a finish with a finely-set plane, such as an 




Fig. 308. — Oblique Dovetailing. 

iron-faced smoothing plane. The ends of the wood must 
be perfectly square when tested from either the face side 
or from the marked edge. 

Take a cutting gauge and set it to equal the thickness 
of the timber, and, holding it as shown at Fig. 312, strike 





Fig. 309. — Dovetailing for Small Box. 

the gauge Hues on the wood as illustrated at Fig. 313, G. 
Proceed to mark out the dovetail pins, as at Fig. 314 ; in 
this illustration G again shows the gauge line. The inclina- 
tion of the lines across the end of the wood should not be 
too great, or the joint will be a weak one, and the edges 
of the dovetails will be liable to crumble away when the 
work is knocked together. 

133 



Joints in Woodwork 




^ESSSS 



^\ 



Fig. 310. — Corner Dovetail. Fig. 311.— Squaring. 




Fig. 312.— How to Use the Cutting Gauge. 
134 



The Dovetail Joint 



Dovetailing Template. — Many workers who are con- 
stantly engaged upon dovetail joints make a small wooden 
template, as shown at Fig. 315. This template is generally 
of hardwood, such as beech or walnut. To obtain the 
correct angles of such a template proceed as follows: — 
Draw a line, C, at right angles to the line AB ; then on 
the line C set off 8 ins. as shown at Fig. 316. Next set off 





Fig' 3i3« — Gauging. Fig. 314. — Marking the Pins. 



I in. from D to E, and draw a Une from E to C ; this line 
will give the correct bevel for a dovetail, and the template 
should be made to fit it. Notice that the lines hh (Fig. 314) 
of the dovetail pins do not bevel ; they are paraUel to 
the sides of the wood and at right angles to the end of 
the wood as shown. 

Chisel Work. — After marking out, as shown at Fig. 314, 
place the wood on the bench and proceed to chop away 
the centre portion in the following manner. Hold the 
chisel on the bevel, as shown (Fig. 317), and cut out a small 
piece to form a channel at the gauge hne. Now hold the 
chisel in a vertical position, as dotted lines (Fig. 317), 
and with a mallet strike the chisel so as to make 9. cut 



Joints in IVoodwork 




c 


/ 




'■^ 


^'- 


] 


■ ^ 




■ ^ 




-* 




■ ««> 




' M 




- N. 



^ I> 



5 



Fig. 315. — ^DovetaDing 
Template. 



Fig. 316. — How to obtain 
Correct Angles for Dove- 
tail Template. 




Fig. 317. — Cutting Dovetail with Chisel. 



about J in. deep. Then hold the chisel on the bevel again 
and cut away more waste wood ; proceed alternately, 
first forcmg the chisel down vertically, and then paring 

136 



The Dovetail Joint 




Fig. 318. — ^Testing. 



Fig. 319. — ^The Marked 
Piece. 



the wood away with the chisel held obliquely, until you 
have cut halfway through the thickness of the wood. 

Turn the wood over and repeat the various operations 
until the core, or waste piece, is removed, as shown at 




Fig. 320. — ^Marking Dovetails with Marking Awl» 

137 



Joints in Woodwork 

H, Fig. 317. Pare away any little irregularities which 
may be left in the corners with an J-in. chisel, thus leaving 
all smooth and neat. Lay the piece of wood which is to 
have the dovetail marked on it flat upon the bench, and 
take the piece with the dovetail pins cut upon it and place 
in the position shown at Fig. 318. 




Fig. 321. — Sawing the Dovetails. 

Saw Work. — Take a marking awl, or a knitting needle 
which hcLS had its end sharpened, and mark the lines of 
the dovetail in a similar manner to that shown at Fig. 320. 
Remove the piece A, Fig. 318, and the lower piece shown 
at Fig. 318 will clearly show the marks aa as they appear 
in Fig. 319. Place the piece (Fig. 319) in the vice, and 
saw outside the lines aa, as shown in Fig. 321. 

After sawing down the lines aa, Fig. 321, place the wood 
in the vice, as shown at Fig. 322, and, guiding the saw 
blade with the index finger of the left hand, cut away 
the small piece at the side of the wood. Repeat the opera- 
tion as may be necessary, and the completed joint will be 

138 



The Dovetail Joint 

similar to that shown at Fig. 310. If the sawing at Fig. 322 
is not neatly done it may be found necessary to pare the 
shoulder with a sharp chisel. 

Drawers. — When dovetailing drawers or boxes it is 
necessary to square up the ends of all the stock and gauge 
them, as shown at Fig. 312. This illustration shows how 
to gauge the lines on a drawer side ; the dovetailed joint 
in this case, however, does not run through the drawer 




Fig. 322. — Sawing away Waste at Ends. 

front and leave the work unsightly, as the joint at Fig. 310 
would do. The method used is shown at Fig. 323, and it 
is commonly known as lap-dovetailing. Most workers cut 
the dovetail pins on the drawer fronts and the drawer 
backs first, after which they mark the drawer sides with 
the marking awl, as shown at Fig. 320, the dovetail pins 
on the drawer front being sawn as at Fig. 327. The dove- 
tailing of the drawer back is shown at Fig. 324. This is 
the type known as " through dovetailing," the method 
being similar in regard to tool operations as the single 
joint shown at Fig. 310. 

When the pins on the drawer front have been sawn as 
at Fig. 327, the waste material is cut away, as shown at 

139 




Dressing Table Chest of Drawers. 



140 



The Dovetail Joint 

Fig- 325. First stab down with the vertical chisel, which 
must make the cut about 5^2 i^- ^^ front of the gauge 




Fig. 323. — Lap -dovetailing Drawer Front to Drawer Side. 




Fig. 324 — Through 
Dovetailing. 



325. — Chipping Waste 
of Lap Dovetail. 



line (see illustration). This commencing of the cut slightly 
in front of the gauge line is a very important feature. The 
chisel may be likened to a wedge, and if the chisel edge 

141 



Joints in Woodwork 

be placed exactly upon the gauge line and force be applied 
to the handle, it will force the timber away equally on 
each side of the gauge line, and the finished depth of the 
hole will therefore be too deep for the thickness of the 
drawer side ; in other words, it will press itself over the 
gauge line on both sides. 
By taking the first vertical cut on the waste side of the 




Fig. 326. — ^Marking Drawer Dovetails (sides or ends) with 
the Saw Blade, when Tails are cut before Pins. 



gauge Hne, and then removing a small piece with the 
chisel held obliquely, as shown at Fig. 325, the wood is 
removed and less resistance is offered to the chisel when 
the next vertical cut is made. This overshooting the 
gauge line is a common fault with the beginner, who is 
puzzled at the result because he is certain he had his 
chisel exactly on the gauge line when he commenced his 
vertical cut. It is especially noticeable in soft-grained 
woods. 

To cut away the waste of a lap-dovetail, as shown at 
Fig. 325, the vertical and obUque cuts are repeated until 

142 



The Dovetail Joint 

the final trimming up is required, and now is the time to 
finish both the vertical and the horizontal cuts exactly 
on the gauge hues. 

Some workers prefer to cut the drawer sides first, and 
if this method is preferred (and it has its advantages for 
cheap work) several drawer sides are cut at once by placing 
four or six behind one another in the vice and sawing them 




Fig. 327. — Sawing the Dovetail Pins of Drawers. 



all at one operation. If this method be adopted the pro- 
cedure for marking the drawer fronts and backs is shown 
at Fig. 326. 

The drawer front is placed in the vice, and the drawer 
side held upon it, whilst the saw blade is placed in the 
saw kerf and drawn smartly forward. This will give the 
required marks at the exact position desired. It must 
be remembered, however, to saw just inside these dovetail- 
pin Hues (as shown at Fig. 327), otherwise the finished 
joint will be too slack, owing to the removal of the sawdust 
which is practically equal to the thickness of the saw blade. 

143 



Joints in Woodwork 

Dovetail saws have specially thin blades and very little 
set upon the teeth, so as to limit as far as possible the 
thickness of the saw kerf. 




Occasional Table, with Four Drawers. 

Dovetail joints are generally glued together, and whep 
the glue is set they are levelled up with a finely-set plane 
and finished by glass-papering. 



144 



DOVETAIL GROOVING 

THE dovetail housing joint should first be carefully 
marked out with a marking knife, so as to cut across 
the fibres of the wood. For obtaining the bevel on 
the edge of the wood a " joiner's bevel " may be 
used, and the angle should not be too acute. (See 
previous chapter.) Take a chisel and pare away 
a small channel as at A, Fig. 328, so as to form a small 
shoulder to guide the saw. 




Fig. 328. — Paring away Channel for Dovetail Grooving. 

With a fine tenon or dovetail saw, as shown at Fig. 329, 
cut the saw kerf as at D, Fig. 328. If any difficulty is 
experienced in cutting the saw kerf true and square, you 
may resort to the method shown at C, Fig. 328 ; a small 
temporary piece of timber has been screwed on the top 
of the work to form a guide for the saw. 

Fig. 328, B, shows the small channel formed by the 
chisel prior to the sawing operation. The sawing of the 
bevelled side is worked in a similar manner ; but occa- 
sionally we find amateurs who adopt the method shown 

J.W. . 145 



Joints in Woodwork 

at Fig. 330. A block of wood H is first made by boring 
a ij-in. hole through its entire length, and afterwards 
making a saw cut at the desired bevel ; the object of this 




Fig. 329. — Cutting the Saw Kerf. 

block, which is kept specially for the purpose, is to form 
a guide for those who have not full control of the dovetail 
saw ; the back of the saw clears the hole, and the required 




Fig. 330. — Guide Block for Bevelling. 

bevel is obtained. When a saw cut has been made at 
each side of the groove, the surplus timber is pared away 
in the following manner : — Cut away portion E, Fig. 331 ; 
then cut away portion F, and lastly cut away the apex 
portion marked G; continue by this method of paring 

146 



Dovetail Grooving 

until the approximate depth is reached. To ensure a 
correct depth throughout the entire groove, the router 





."'• 


/^- 


-Q 




/ 1 


r 1 


( 



Fig. 331. — Showing Method of Paring. 




Fig. 332. — Old Woman's Tooth Plane. 




Fig. 333.— Channelling the Alternate Piece. 

plane (or, as it is often caUed, " the old woman's tooth 
plane") is used (see Fig. 332). 

147 



1. 3 



Joints in Woodwork 

With regard to cutting the alternate piece, it is necessary 
to first plane the end of the shelf true and square, and 
with a cutting gauge strike the Hne K, Fig. 333 ; the 
required bevel on the edge J is set out, and with the chisel 
a small channel is again formed. With the tenon or dovetail 
saw cut down the line K to the required depth, and carefully 
pare away the wood with a sharp chisel to the correct shape. 

It is probably needless to remark that the experienced 
craftsman sets out his work and cuts the timber without 
having to resort to such mechanical means as the block H, 
Fig. 330, or the sUp at C, Fig. 328. These aids to the 
amateur are fastened temporarily to their positions by 
ordinary screws, or, better still, with a handscrew or 
cramp. 



148 



JOINTS FOR CURVED WORK 

FIG. 334 shows a circular frame made up in two 
thicknesses, the segments being screwed to each 
other and the joints crossed in two layers. This is 
a very strong method, and it is used for making 
circular frames and curbs up to 15 ft. in diameter. 
The segments can be either long or short, the only 
important condition being that they must be marked out 




Fig. 334. — Circular Frame in Two Thicknesses. 



and sawn to the correct radius. Fig. 335 shows a board 
marked out in segments for this class of work, and the 
longer the boards are the better they will cut up, as it 
gives more opportunities of cutting one piece out of the 
other as at A A. 

149 



Joints in Woodwork 

Fig. 336 shows how to begin to put the work together. 
To continue this, fit other segments in position and 
screw them to D and E respectively. The completed work 
is illustrated at Fig. 334. 




Fig. 335. — Board Marked in Segments for Circular Jointing. 

Fig. 337 shows a circular rim, or curb, made of segments 
which are halved together. This method is suitable for 
heavy work, where the timbers are of considerable size. 
The halvings are cut on the ends of the segments to any 




Fig. 336. — Putting Circular Work together. 



convenient shape or bevel, each one being marked so as 
to fit its fellow. 

When extra strength is required, semicircular or circular 
work is built up out of four or five thicknesses of wood, 
and the method is called laminating. The method of 

150 



Joints for Curved Work 

building up the semicircular head of a door frame by this 
method is shown at Figs. 338 and 339. 

The shaped framing for kidney-shaped writing tables 
and similar classes of work are built up by laminating 
pieces of f-in. or i-in. wood, after which the face side is 
veneered so as to hide the glued joints. Fig. 340 shows 




Fig. 337. — Circular Rim in Halved Segments. 

a sketch of one quarter of an elliptical table frame, levelled 
up and ready for appl5dng the veneer. 



CONSTRUCTION BY LAMINATION. 

If we apply to the dictionary for the word " lamination," 
we find that lamellar structure is the arrangement in thin 
plates or layers one over the other, usually having the 
end joints alternating, and it is a condition which allows 
of cleavage in one direction only. This method is used 
for nearly all descriptions of free or irregular curves, such 

151 



Joints in Woodwork 

as sweeps, bends, ogee shapes, and segments of circles 
The timber is marked out in suitable lengths, rough-sawn. 




Fig. 338. 




Fig. 339. 



Building up Semicircular Head of Door Frame, 



and then planed true on the face, glued together, and when 
set the sides are cleaned up to the required shape. It is 





Fig. 340. — Part of Laminated Fig. 341 . — Half of Core Box, 
Table Frame. Laminated. 



one of the strongest methods of construction, and neces- 
sarily costly. Pulleys, pulley rims, and a hundred and 
one other jobs are built by this method. 

Fig. 341 shows one half of a core box built by this 
method, and ready to be worked to the required shape, 
viz., a half-circle as marked on its end. 

t5« 



MISCELLANEOUS JOINTS 

JOINING Weather Boards.— At Fig. 342 the method 
of jointing and nailing weather boarding on such 
temporary buildings as garden sheds and tool-houses 
is shown. The weather boarding can be bought 
ready prepared at any local saw mill. The section A 
illustrates a suitable piece of timber with chamfered 
edges, which is nailed on the end of the weather boarding 





<^P A 



Fig. 342.— Joining Fig. 343. 

Weather Boarding. Ladder Rungs. 




Fig. 344. — Finial for 
Cornice Pole. 



to protect it from the rain, which would be liable to cause 
premature decay if it had access to the end grain of the 
hoarding. 

Ladder Rungs. — Fig. 343 illustrates the method of 
fastening the rung (or stave) of a ladder to the side. 
At A the common method is shown, the stave being simply 

153 



Joints in Woodwork 

driven into the hole and wedged. At B a much better 
but more expensive method of construction is given. The 
stave here is socketed and the pin turned to a smaller 
diameter. In both cases the rung, or stave, is painted 
before being driven into the side and wedged. 

Ladder Sides. — Ladder sides are made in two distinct 
ways. One method is known as " a plank side," the side 






Fig- 345-— Joining 
Rustic Woodwork. 



Fig. 346. — Nailed Joint 
for Rustic Work. 



being cut from a plank as shown at the section ; the other 
method is called " a pole side," and is constructed by 
cutting a straight larch pole in half and using half of the 
pole for each side of the ladder, as at section C. 

Cornice Poles Ends and Finials.— Fig. 344 shows the 
fastening of a cornice pole end to the cornice pole, or a 
turned ornament to an overmantel shelf or top shaping. 
A double-pointed screw is used, half of which is screwed 
into each part of the articles to be joined. Double-pointed 
screws are known in the trade as dowel screws. 

Joining Rustic Work.— Fig. 345 indicates the jointing 
of the top framing of a rustic shelter or summer house, 
the illustration being self-explanatory. 



Miscellaneous Joints 

Fig'^ 346 is a nailed joint for rustic work. The upright 
piece is sawn to receive half of the upper piece and the 
joint secured by the use of cut nails. 

Patera Covers to Temporary Screws.— Fig. 347 

shows the jointing of shaped spandrails, etc., to carcase 
ends of light portable cabinet work, etc. A hole is bored 
about f of an inch deep into the end, and a screw 
is used to hold the shaping in position. After fixing 




Fig. 347. — Patera Covers to Hide Screws. 

the rail a small turned button, called a turned patera, is 
inserted in the hole, thus giving an ornamental finish, as 
shown in the front view. The turned patera is driven 
fairly tightly into the hole, but not glued. When it is 
required to take the article apart a chisel is carefully 
inserted under the edge of the patera to remove it, and the 
screw can then be taken out. This method is often used 
for the construction of light hanging bookcases and similar 
objects. For a bookcase having an end 8 ins. wide three 
of these turned buttons and three screws would be used 
to secure the shelf to the end. Pateras as illustrated are 
excellent examples of fine lathe work, and this method 
of construction for light articles should appeal to readers 
who possess a wood-turning lathe. 

155 



Joints in Woodwork 

Hinged Joints for Cornice Poles.— Fig. 348 shows a 
hinged joint for cornice poles and should be of great 




Fig. 348. — Hinged Joint for Cornice Poles, etc. 

interest to those who are frequently removing from house 
to house. The joint will adapt itself to fit any bay window 




Fig. 349. — Veneer Keying. 




Fig. 351. — Garden Frame 
or Skylight Joint. 




Fig. 350.— Pelleting. 




Fig. 352.~-Picture 
Frame Joint. 



(even a square bay) and it is formed by turning and cuttmg 
two pieces as A. To fix a cornice pole to a bay wmdow 
one of these joints is required for each angle of the bay, 
the pole being cut into suitable lengths and fixed to the 

156 



Miscellaneous Joints 

hinged joints by the use of the dowel screw and a little 
hot glue. It is perhaps needless to remark that the diameter 
of the joint should be of the same diameter as the cornice 
pole, to enable the rings to easily slide over the surface. 

Veneer Keying. — Fig. 349 illustrates the method of 
strengthening the comers of boxes which are made of J-in. 
or |-in. timber, by securing the corners with veneer keys. 
The box is mitred and glued in the usual manner, and 
after allowing sufficient time for the glue to set, saw cuts 
or '*saw kerfs" are made as shown at « a. A piece of 
thin saw-cut veneer is afterwards glued into the saw kerfs, 
and when dry the face is levelled off flush. This method 
is often used previous to veneering the face side of the 
box with rare veneers, and it is also useful for repair work. 

Pelleting. — Fig. 350 indicates the method of pelleting 
and screwing the comer of a picture frame. The mitre 
joint is first screwed and a pellet of the same timber is 
made to fill the hole which has been bored to receive the 
screw head. This method is similar to Fig. 347, with the 
exception that in the latter case the pellet P is glued in 
position and levelled off. 

The lower illustration shows the finished edge. 

Skylight and Garden Frame. — Fig. 351 shows how 
to fix the interior rebated rail of a skylight or garden 
frame to the front rail. This, after a perusal of the sketch, 
does not call for explanation. 

Frame Joint. — Fig. 352 shows the corner of a picture 
frame veneer-keyed as Fig. 349 in preference to nailing. 

Jointing Broken Turned Work. — At Fig. 353 is shown 
a turned chair leg, which has been fractured across the 
turned portion A. One of the neatest methods of repairing 
and making a new joint is shown at C. The broken part is 
first sawn away and the ends of the leg are planed true 
and square. A new portion C is turned in the lathe and 
the J-in. dowel pins engage with suitably bored holes. 

157 



Joints in Woodwork 

The joint is warmed and glued, and a cramp may be applied 
to give the necessary pressure. 

Castor Pins and Crush Feet (Fig. 354). — Breakages 
frequently occur to the lower part of a dining-table or 
chair leg at the portion marked S, which fits into the 
socket of the castor. Owing to shrinkage or to continual 





Fig. 353. — Jointing Turned 
Work. 



Fig. 354. — Castor Pins, 
etc. 



vibration of the screws and the socket castor, the woodwork 
is eaten away and the castor becomes loose. The simplest 
and most effective way of making the repair is to turn a 
new castor pin A. Cut away the old portion, bore the 
leg, and glue and insert the new pin A. F illustrates a 
" crush," or " dinner plate foot," as used on a sideboard. 
The upright post of the sideboard is generally made out 
of timber about i| ins. square ; the foot is turned and fitted 
in position by the dowel pin as shown. Examples of this 
class of joint are frequent in furniture of the Queen Anne 

158 



Miscellaneous Joints 



period, where the stretcher rails run through the turned 
legs and the feet are afterwards fixed by the above method. 

^ Sideboard Pillars, etc. (Fig. 355). — For economy, 
sideboard pillars are sometimes built up as indicated, 
the " shaft," the " base," and the " swell " being made 
up of three distinct pieces. Turned pins are left on the 





Fig. 356.— Dining-table Joint. 



Fig. 355. — Sideboard 
Col 




Fig. 357. — Glue-blocking, 



shaft and the base, and these are secured at the joint by 
the use of a double-pointed screw called a dowel screw. 
The left-hand portion of the illustration shows the finished 
turning, whilst the right-hand portion shows the blocks 
prior to the turning and carving operations. 

Dining-table Slide Joint. — At Fig. 356 is indicated 
a method of securing dining-table slides, or " lopers," as 
they axe frequently termed. This joint is called a " tee- 
slide," and it has the advantage over many other types 

159 



Joints in Woodwork 

owing to the fact that no cross rails are required under 
the table. The particular form of the inserted tee-piece 
makes it impossible for the slides to come asunder. The 
table slides are first worked to the desired shape (special 
planes being used to make the grooves) , and the tee- piece 
is made separately and glued and screwed into the left-hand 
slide. 

Pocket Screwing. — On the inside rail of Fig. 356, P, 
the method known as pocket-screwing is shown. Table 




sx 



VJ^.- 




Fig. 358-9. — Notched Joint. Fig. 360. — End Notch. 

tops, the tops of dressing-tables and sideboards, etc., are 
screwed to the carcase portion by this method. A hole 
of the required diameter to fit the screw is bored obliquely 
from the top edge of the rail ; a gouge is then taken and 
the wood is hollowed away to receive the screw head. 

Blocking. — Fig. 357 illustrates a method of strengthening 
and stiffening a cornice or plinth by glueing small blocks 
of wood (generally yellow pine) into the angles of the 
framing. B, B show the blocks in position. This method 
of combining strength with lightness is greatly used on 
interior fittings. 

Notched Joints. — Fig. 358-9 is a notched joint, where 
two joists, or scantlings, cross each other, the object of the 
joint being to prevent the joists moving from their position 

160 



Miscellaneous Joints 

and not to materially weaken them. Fig. 360 shows a 
notched joint at the end of a joist. 

Cogged Joint. — Fig. 361 is a type of joint used for 
connecting purlins to rafters, and joists to girders, etc. 

Saddle Joint. — At Fig. 362 is shown a compromise 
between the notched and the cogged joint. It is used for 
connecting upright posts to heads or sills of framing, 
and undoubtedly takes its name from its similarity to 
the way in which the saddle fits the horse. It does not 





Fig. 361. — Cogged Joint. Fig. 362. — Saddle Joint 

weaken the framing as does a mortise and tenon joint, 
and shrinkage has little effect upon the joint. Fig. 363 
is a notched joint on a rebated joist. 

Roll^top Desk Fall (or Tambour Front).— Fig. 364 
shows the method of making a fall-front for a roll-top 
desk or similar article. Sections of the rebated mouldings 
are shown. The various pieces are fixed together by 
stringing them on a wire cable, as shown. It is usual to 
use not less than three pieces of cable on a desk of 3 ft. ; 
one piece of cable near each end, and one piece at the 
centre. This method of joining the various pieces by 
means of flexible wire cable has ahnost superseded the 
old-fashioned method of glueing the mouldings on stout 
cloth or linen ticking. 

'•''• . 161 " 



Joints in Woodwork 

Rafter Joint.— Fig. 365 shows an everyday joint, as 
used at the juncture of the principal rafter and the tie-beam 
in roof truss work. A sketch of piece A is shown separated, 





Fig. 363. — ^Notched Joint 
on Rebated Joist. 



Fig. 364. — Roll- top Desk 
Joint. 



and it should be noted that the depth of the cut portion B 
should not be more than one-fourth of the total width of 
the tie-beam. 

Birdsmouth Joints.— Fig. 366 is a birdsmouth joint, 




Fig. 365. — Rafter and Tie Beam Joint. 

as used when a spar fits on the wall plate, a simple joint 
which can be readily made by the handsaw. A nail is 
shown securing it in position. 

Fig. 367 shows the birdsmouth joint where the spar 
runs over the outside of the wall plate, thus allowing a 
fixing for an ornamental finish, such as a barge board, etc. 

162 



Miscellaneous Joints 

Scribing Joints. — Fig. 368, A and B, are elevations 
and plans of two pieces of moulding, which are " scribed " 
together. In the elevation it will be seen that the left end 





Fig. 366. — Birdsmouth Joint. 



Fig. 367. — Another Type of 
Birdsmouth Joint. 



of piece B is cut to such a shape as to form a perfect fit 
with the contour of piece A ; this method is called scribing, 
and the joint is known as a scribed joint. It has an advan- 




Fig. 368. — Scribing Joint. 



Fig. 369. — Scribing Joint on 
Skirting Board. 



tage over the mitred joint, shown at C, because if slight 
shrinkage takes place, the joint does not open to the same 
extent. If mouldings have undercut members, it is, of 
course, impossible to scribe them to fit each other. 

, l5^ Ma 



Joints hi Woodwork 



Butt-jointing Counter Tops with Dovetail Keys. — 

Fig- 370 indicates a method often used to secure the ends 
of counter tops, etc., when timber cannot be secured of 



7 




Fig. 370. — Counter Top Jointed Fig. 371. — Method of Button- 
with Dovetail Keys. ing with Angle Iron. 

sufficient length for the entire span of the counter. The 
boards are first glue- jointed and the ends are secured with 
dovetail keys. (See also pages 169 and 170.) 




Fig. 372. — Buttoning a 
Table Top. 




Fig. 373. — Bed Joint. 



Buttoning. — A means of securing wide surfaces of 
woodwork to angle iron by means of wooden buttons is 
shown at Fig. 371, B. The advantage of this manner of 

164 



Miscellaneous Joints 

securing a wide board is that it allows the board to contract 
or expand according to the alterations in temperature. 
Perhaps one of the most familiar methods of buttoning 
is shown at Fig. 372. This sketch represents one corner 
of an inverted table and shows the top secured to the 
rails by the buttons B ; the rails, of course, are grooved 
in this case to receive the tongue of the buttons. 




Fig. 374.— Wall Plugs, Fig. 375. Fig. 376.--Slot 

Four Varieties. Slot Screwing. Screwing a Bracket. 



Dovetail Plates for Bed Joints.— Fig. 373 illustrates 
the fixing of a wooden bed side to the bed foot by means 
of cast-iron plates, which are fitted as shown. These 
plates may be obtained from any of the large furnishing 
ironmongers. 

Wall Plugs. — At Fig. 374 four types of wall plugs are 
shown : — a, the ordinary rectangular tapered wall plug 
to drive between the joints of the brickwork ; h, the 
circular tapered wall plug as used to plug a wall after a 
star-shaped brick drill has been used ; d, a twisted wall plug 
used for similar purposes to the wedge a, but considered 
to be superior in holding power owing to its twisted forma- 
tion ; c is another type of wall plug considered to have 
great tenacity by reason of its corrugations. Wall plugs 

165 



Joints in Woodwork 

are required in nearly all cases where it is necessary to 
joint woodwork to brickwork, as, for instance, heavy-framed 
silvered mirrors to the walls of shops. 

Slot Screwing, or Keyhole Screwing, is a most 
useful way of joining light woodwork in such a manner 
that the fixing method is not exposed to the eye. A stout 
screw is inserted to within | in. of the head, as at Fig. 375. 
In the adjoining piece a hole is bored with a centre bit 





£- 



Fig. 377.— Housing Fig. 378. — Bookcase Fig. 379.— Studs. 
Joint. Shelf Joints. 

and a slot is cut with an J-in. chisel. The two pieces of 
timber are placed together, and by sliding the upper piece 
forward the screw runs up into the slot or keyhole and 
secures the joint. Fig. 376 shows the application of the 
joint fixing a shaped bracket to the shaped shelf; the 
bracket and shelf are inverted in the illustration to clearly 
show the method of jointing. For heavy work special 
brass plates are obtainable for this purpose ; one plate is 
let flush into the upper piece and the other plate into the 
lower piece. 

Housing Joint. — Fig. 377 shows a housing joint which 
is sometimes called a trenched and housed joint. A trench, 
groove, or housing is cut so as to receive the portion to 

166 



Miscellaneous Joints 

be jointed. The left-hand portion shows the trench running 
the whole width of the shelf; the sketch to the right 
shows " stopped housing," the groove coming to within 
\ in. of the front edge of the shelf. The upright piece is, 
of course, notched out to engage with it. 




Fig. 381. — ^Drawer Bottom Joint. 



Fig. ^82. — Cross- 
Framing Joint. 



Joints for Bookcase Shelves. — Fig. 378 illustrates 
three methods of supporting bookcase shelves. The 
method shown at B consists of a strip of wood f in. thick, 
which engages with the notched portion A. Adjustment 
to the required height is made by altering the strip to 
the desired notch. At the centre of the sketch an alternate 
method is shown, the notches here consisting of semi- 
circular recesses. This latter method is probably more 
favoured than the former because the two upright pieces 
can be placed together, and the required holes formed 

167 



Joints in Woodwork 

by boring with a brace and centre bit, thus forming both 
recesses at one operation. 

Bookcase Studs.— Fig. 379 shows two distinct types 
of cast-iron bookcase studs ; the iron pins are usually 
f in. in diameter, and corresponding holes are bored two- 
thirds through the thickness of the bookcase ends to 
receive the pins. Fig. 378, C, shows the holes to receive 
the studs. A point in favour of bookcase studs is that 
it is not necessary to line up the thickness of the bookcase 
ends as when adjustable slips are used. 

Battening (Fig. 380). — A good method of joining cross 
battens to drawing boards and other wide surfaces is 
shown here. After boring for the screws, slots are cut 
so as to allow the screws to move along the slots when 
shrinkage takes place. In Fig. 381 a similar method is 
applied to secure the drawer bottom to the drawer back. 
If shrinkage takes place in the drawer bottom and it 
leaves the groove in the drawer front, the screws are 
slackened, the drawer bottom is knocked up into the 
groove, and the screws are again screwed. For drawing 
boards, etc., specially made elliptical-shaped slotted brass 
socket cups are made to receive the screw heads. 

Fig. 382 shows a joint where two cross-pieces A and B 
are halved together and fitted to a supporting post C, D — 
a useful joint for cross-framing and fitment work. 

Dovetail Keying. — A method of strengthening the 
mitred comers of thin boxes is shown at Fig. 383. The 
box is first mitred and glued. Dovetailed trenches are 
cut as shown, and small lengths of the tapered dovetailed 
key piece are cut and inserted in the trenches. Note that 
the dovetail key piece tapers from a to c The small lengths 
are glued into the trenches formed in the box and all 
levelled off after sufficient time has elapsed for the glue 
to set. Boxes made in this manner are generally afterwards 
finished by the laying on of rich and rare veneers. 

Figs. 384, 385, and 388 are joints seldom used in 

l68 



Miscellaneous Joints 

practical work, but which we illustrate for the benefit of 
Manual Training teachers. 

A Butt Joint. — To pull up and fix a butt joint in a 





Fig. 383. — Dovetail Keying. 



Fig. 384. 



counter or any similar job, three pieces of deal and two 
folding wedges are required. The deal pieces should be 
about 18 ins. long by 2 ins. by i in., the wedges (of hard- 




Fig. 385. — Useful Manual Training Exercise Joint. 

wood) about 12 ins. long, both out of a piece of 2} ins. by 
I in., cut as shown at Fig. 386. A 2-in. by f-in. mortise 
is cut in the centre of each of the deal pieces. They are 
then screwed to underside of counter, through circled 

169 



Joints in Woodwork 

holes, keeping the centre piece back as shown in diagram. 
The hardwood wedges are then inserted and the joint 
pulled up. The other screws can then be put in, giving 
a very firm job. (See also page 164.) 

Coopered Joints. — The term " coopering joint " is 
seldom used in the cabinet-making trade, although we 





000 



o e 



oaAB 



Fig. 386. — Butt Joint for Counters, etc. 

find it mentioned in a few of the text-books, and also in 
the City and Guilds programme of the cabinet-making 
examination. The name evidently has come from the 
coopering trade, in which it is one of the commonest forms 
of joint used in the making of casks and barrels. The 
pattern-maker and the cabinet-maker have adopted this 
method of jointing when making and building up circular 
and shaped work, such as coal-boxes, wine-coolers, cylinder 
desk falls, curved and serpentine panels, ogee and kidney- 

170 



Miscellaneous Joints 

shaped carcases and such like. Three sketches are given 
at Fig. 387, two of which show the joint tongued. The 



^^ 



r^ 



Fig. 387.— Examples of Coopering Joints. 






Fig. 388.— Japanese Mitred Tenon Joint (Manual Training 
Exercise), a and 6, the two parts ; c, finished joint. 
(See page 168.) 

method of jointing shown in the left-hand illustration is 
also used to fit the woodwork around engine cylinders, etc., 
and it is sometimes called " lagging." 
* 171 



Joints in Woodwork 



Frames for Oil Paintings. — ^The method of making 
joints for frames on which the canvas is stretched for oil 
paintings is shown at Fig. 389. They are generally mitred 
at the corners and fitted with loose wedges. The four 
parts of the frame can be held temporarily by a piece of 
thin board while the canvas is being tacked to the edges 
of the frame. In the accompanying illtistrations Fig. 389A 
shows the action of the wedges when tightening up the 





Fig. 389A. Fig. 389B. 

Joint and Method of Wedging the Frames of Oil Paintings. 

frame, the result being to open the mitre joint. Fig. 389B 
shows the position of the saw cuts for receiving the hard- 
wood wedges. Note that the parallel groove is carried the 
full length of the material for greater convenience in cutting. 
The other groove is taken from the outer angle of the mitre 
joint inwards. The cut finishes with due regard to the 
necessary taper ; see the dotted lines showing taper in 
Fig. 389A. The grooves will be wide enough after being 
cut with an ordinary hand rip saw, but for large work they 
are usually grooved on the circular saw bench. 

CORRUGATED STEEL FASTENERS. 
It is now many years ago since the steel saw-edge fastener 
first appeared on the market, and at the present time 

172 



Miscellaneotis Joints 

probably 80 per cent, of amateur woodworkers have never 
seen or heard of its many uses. 
It is probably owing to the fact that the fastener could 






Fig. 390. — Saw-edge Corrugated Steel Fasteners. 

not until recently be bought in small quantities that it 
has not been generally seen and used. 
In appearance it resembles a miniature corrugated 




• >vvC^ 



^ 




Fig. 391.— Jointing 
Two Boards. 



Fig. 392. — Jointing a 
Frame. 



galvanised sheet such as is used for roofing purposes, with 
the exception, however, that the corrugations are divergent 
instead of being parallel and that one end is ground down 
to a cutting edge. 

At Fig. 390 three sizes of fasteners are shown. These 
are made in various sizes from J in. to i in, in length, and 

173 



Joints in JVoodwork 




Cottage Sideboard. 
174 



Miscellaneous Joints 

in regard to width they are classed by the number of 
corrugations and not by their measurement. 

To use the Fastener no special tools are required ; it 
is simply driven in with a hammer exactly as though it 




Fig. 393. — Mitred Joint with Steel Fasteners. 

were a nail ; once in position, however, to get it out is 
worse than drawing teeth. The corrugations add to the 
strength of the device, the wood fibres closing around 
them, age and rust but emphasising their grip. 




Fig. 394. — Cornice or Plinth for Wardrobe or Bookcase, 
secured with Steel Fasteners. 

Fig. 391 shows the application of the fastener for jointing 
two boards. Three fasteners are put in one side and two 
on the reverse side ; one fastener driven into the grain 
at each end will in nearly all cases be sufficient. 

Fig. 392 is a frame which is to be finished by painting. 
Here the amateur is not troubled with gauging, mortising 
and tenoning, etc. The ends of the cross-rails are simply 



Joints in Woodwork 

cut and planed dead square and the fasteners inserted as 
shown. The use of a cramp is not even necessary, as owing 
to the bevel on the fastener the shoulder is drawn up 
close and firm. 

Fig. 393 indicates two pieces of i-in. timber mitred at 
the comer. To mitre and tenon or mitre and dowel a 
joint such as this requires a great amount of skill ; here 
the mitres are planed true and the fasteners driven across 
the joint. 

Fig. 394 is a cornice or plinth frame for a wardrobe or 
similar piece of furniture. All the timbers are shot square, 
or to the mitre, as may be required, and the whole of the 
frame is fastened together as shown. The cornice or plinth 
moulding is then fitted around the frame in the usual way. 
Numerous examples of the use of this fastener will suggest 
themselves to readers, and for general repair work, cabinet 
and joinery work they are an exceptionally useful fastener. 

Fasteners of \ in., with five corrugations, are probably 
the most useful for general purposes. 



176 



THE MITRED JOINT 



ALTHOUGH mitreing is used m everyday wood- 
work, it comes last in our list of regular joints simply 
because it has been partly dealt with in almost every 
previous chapter. For example, we have mitre 
halving in Fig. 35, a mitre bridle joint in Fig. 74, 
a tongued and grooved mitre in Fig. 114, mitred 
mortise and tenon joints in Figs. 147 and 158, a dowelled 
mitre frame in Fig. 204, a mitred dovetail in Fig. 295, 
and a mitred joint with steel fasteners in Fig. 393. 




ST 



B 



A 

-+- 



X 



D 
I 






Fig. 395. — ^Mitred Skirting. 



Fig- 396.— Finding a Right 
Angle for Mitreing. 



Mitreing. — The term mitreing is generally used to 
denote the type of joint used at the comer of a picture 
frame ; or where two pieces of wood are bevelled away so as 
to fit each other, as the skirting or plinth mould at 
Fig- 395- In these cases the timber is cut so that the joint 
is at 45 degrees to the face, and the two pieces, when placed 
together, form an angle of 90 degrees (a right angle). 

The term mitreing, however, is not confined to the fitting 
of timber around a right angle ; it may be justly appUed 

JW. j^^ M 



Joints in Woodwork 

to the fitting of a moulding around an angle irrespective of 
the number of its degrees. 

One often hears such terms as " a half mitre," used to 
denote the fitting of a moulding around an octagonal 




Fig. 397. — Finding Angles for Straight Mitres. 

column or pedestal, and probably it would be more correct 
to describe the joint as a mitre cut at 22 1 degrees. Mitreing 
consists of halving the angle and making each piece to 
fit the fine of bisection. Should the angle be bounded by 
straight Hues, as at Fig. 396 or Fig. 397 A, then the 
mitred joint will be a straight Une, but should the angle 

178 



The Mitrea Joint 

be bounded by a curved and a straight line, as at 
Fig. 405 A, or by two curved lines, then the mitred joint 
will have to be a curved line if the mouldings are to be of 
the same section. 

STRAIGHT MITRES. 

Finding the Angle. — ^We will first deal with straight 
mitres, such as are shown in the upper panel of Fig. 397. 




Fig. 398. — Sawing Block for Mitreing. 

The mitre joint line is found by bisecting the angle, as 
shown in the various examples, and the following instruc- 
tions are given to enable the reader to foUow the enlarged 
diagram (Fig. 396). Take a pair of compasses, or dividers, 
and with any convenient opening strike out the arc A, B. 
Put the point of the compasses on A, and mark another 
arc E ; then, without altering he distance between the 
points of the compass, put the point on B, and mark the 
arc D. Draw the line C from the corner, and allow it to cut 
through the intersection made by the arcs E and D. The 
angle A B is now halved by the Une C, and this method may 
be appHed to any angle — a variety of which are shown in 
Fig. 397- 
Sawing Block. — For sawing mouldings, etc., to their 

179 



Joints in Woodwork 

approximate shape, a home-made sawing block is generally 
used, as shown at Fig. 398. Two pieces of wood are glued 




Fig. 399. — ^Mitre Shooting Board. 




Pig. 400. — Screw Mitre Trap. 

one on the top of the other, the required angle is transferred 
thereto, and the saw kerf made. In the sketch the saw kerfs 
are shown at 45 degrees, right and left ; and, of course, 
other angles and saw kerfs may be made where desired. 

180 



The Mitred Joint 

Planing. — After sawing the piece to approximately the 
correct angle, it is necessary on high-class work to plane the 
cut end so as to give a perfect finish and enable a glued joint 




Pig. 401. — ** Donkey's Ear" Shooting Board. 

to be made. This may be accompHshed by using the plane 
on the shooting board, as shown at Fig. 399, and, if the 
worker is constantly using mitres of various angles, it is 




Fig. 402. — Gauging for Mitres. 

an easy matter to make the angle block swivel to the 
required bevel by cutting a slot, as indicated, and then secur- 
ing the block with a bolt and thumbscrew, or with a couple 
of stout gauge screws. Other workers prefer the screw mitre 
trap shown at Fig. 400. This apparatus takes wide pUnth 

181 



Joints in Woodwork 

or cornice moulds, and the angle may be altered by fitting 
temporary packing pieces under the work so as to tilt the 
moulding to the desired angle. The method of using the 
plane is indicated by the arrows. 

Another method in everyday use by those workers 
who are constantly mitreing wide pieces of stock at 
45 degrees is the " donkey's ear " shooting board illus- 




Fig. 403. — Bevelled 

Framing with Mitred 

Moulding. 



Fig. 404. — Framing 

with wide Mitred 

Moulding. 



trated at Fig. 401. The plane is laid on its side on the 
surface of the board marked A, and used in a similar 
manner to that shown at Fig. 399. 

A simple method and one that should always be remem- 
bered because it is handy when working without a shooting 
board is shown at Fig. 402. Set the marking or cutting 
gauge to the thickness of the wood to be mitred at 45 
degrees ; then gauge this distance on the wood, as shown 
at B ; draw from the line to the edge, as shown, and saw 
and plane to a finish. The diagonals of a square give 
45 degrees, and this is the method used to mark out the 
work. .The end of the wood must, of course, be square 
with its edges before marking out in this manner. 

Fig. 403 shows a bevelled framing into which has been 

182 



The Mitred Joint 

mitred a narrow moulding M so as to show a correct 
margin around the panel. 

Fig. 404 shows a similar framing, but with a wide mould- 
ing M mitred around it. To obtain a correct intersection 
of this moulding, the angles B and A are bisected. The 
bisection of the angles meets before the width of the mould- 
ing is cleared, therefore the angle C will again have to be 




Fig, 405. — Door with Curved Mitres. 

bisected, and the finished joint will appear as shown. One 
of the simplest of mouldings with a large fiat face has been 
chosen to illustrate this. The moulding could be all in 
one width, as shown, or it could be built into the framing 
in separate pieces, the wide flat and the piece carrying the 
ogee moulding. 



CURVED MITRES. 

We now come to what are probably the most difficult 
of all mitres, viz., curved mitres, and the writer well 
remembers in his appreticeship days his first experience of 
attempting to fit the mouldings around the door shown at 
Fig. 405 by using straight mitres at A. This, of course, 

183 



Joints in Woodwork 

is impossible if the mouldings are of the same section, 
and it is desired to make all the members correctly inter- 
sect. If straight mitres are used the section of the curved 
moulding will have to be of a different shape to the section 
of the straight moulding, and in these days of machine- 
made mouldings this method is seldom resorted to. It is 
better, cheaper, and easier, to make curved mitres when the 
necessary machinery is at hand. 




Fig. 406. — Method of Setting-out for a Curved Mitre. 



Some years ago the writer had eighty panels, similar 
to Fig. 406, to fix around a large room, and, with the aid 
of a home-made " former " worked the mouldings and their 
respective curved mitres on a double spindle moulding 
machine. 

The Method of Setting-out a Curved Mitre' is indi- 
cated at Fig. 406 and is as follows : — Draw a section of 
the moulding full size, as shown at the left hand of the 
illustration, and project lines round the framing, as shown 
I, 2, 3 and 4. Where the Hues i, 2, 3 and 4 intersect at the 
corner D, it clearly shows that a straight mitre will not cut 
all the points of intersection. A curved Une will cut all the 

184 



The Mitred Joint 

intersections, and a template made of cardboard, sheet 
zinc, or veneer, should be made to this shape. At the left- 
hand side the geometrical setting out is shown for obtaining 
the curve without having to resort to drawing it before- 
hand. 

Take half the width of the moulding, as shown by dotted 
line A, and where it cuts the approximation of the curved 




Fig. 407. — Template for Mitreing. 

mitre place the point of the compasses and strike out a 
circle as shown ; with the same radius place the compass 
point on B — that is the inside point of the mitre, and cut the 
circle on the right and left with the small arcs shown at aa. 
With the same radius put the compass point at the junction 
of the circle and mitre line Ci, and cut the circle at right 
and left, viz, ee. 

Now rule a hne through aa, and another line through ee^ 
and where these lines cut each other it will give the correct 
radius of the curved mitre. The advantage of knowing the 
correct radius of a curved mitre is of great benefit to the 
skilled machinist, as it enables him to set up his machine 
so as to give a definite result. Many other instances of 
curved mitres could be given, but the general principles 
governing this class of work will be readily seen from the 
above examples. 

185 



Joints in Woodwork 

Mitreing a Moulded Door Frame. — Fig. 407 illustrates 
the method of mitreing the moulded portion of a door frame 
where the joint is tenoned and mortised. A small wooden 
template T is made out of beech or other hardwood, 
having its ends cut at 45 degrees. This template is placed 
on the rail, as shown, and held in position by placing both 
the rail and the template in the vice. The face of the tem- 
plate forms a guide for a wide chisel, and enables the worker 
to gradually pare away the moulding to the correct angle. 
The chisel is used in the direction indicated by the arrow 
mark. 



186 



PUZZLE JOINTS 

Chinese Joint Puzzle 

THE ingenious puzzle of the Chinese type shown here 
is probably older than many of us could guess, but 
as it is one that can be made by any woodworker 
we give full directions as to how it may be con- 
structed. For the benefit of others, too, into 
whose hands the finished puzzle may fall, we give 
also the key as to how it may be taken down and fitted 
together again. 




Fig. 408. — Sketch of the Completed Chinese Puzzle. 
187 



Joints in Woodwork 

The complete article as shown in Fig. 408 may be called, 
in form, a six-pointed pyramid. It is made up of twenty-one 
different pieces, each cut from wood \ in. wide and \ in. 
thick ; I in. wood may be used if preferred. For the 
purpose either sycamore or white maple is the most useful. 





T 

1 

1 


— I'^ 


r 


1 
1 

1 


1 




1 
I 


1 



Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. 

409. 410. 411. 412. 

The Three Cross Pieces. Key Piece, 

THE TWENTY-ONE PARTS. 

The pieces required are as follows : — 

Fig. 409. — Six pieces, 3J ins. long, with a half slot cut 
in the centre as shown. This slot must be exactly the 
width of the wood's thickness, and cut exactly half 
way through, so that, if two pieces are placed across by 
means of the halved joint, their surfaces will be flush. 
The slot must also be exactly in the centre. 

Fig. 410. — Six pieces, size 2J ins. long, with a half-cut 
centre slot similar to that of Fig. 409. 

Fig. 411. — Six required, these being ij in. in length, 
and with slots in the middle as before. 

Key Piece (Fig. 412). — One of these last six requires 
special treatment, as it forms the key block of the puzzle. 
After its slot has been cut, one half of the narrow part 
must be sawn away, as shown in Fig. 412. The inner edge 
must also be gently rounded. The special use of this vital 

188 



Puzzle /oints 

piece, which we will call the *' key," will be fully explained 
presently. 

Fig. 413. — Then, in adition to these, there are three 
central bars to make. Like the other parts they are \ in. 
by J in., but are each ^\ ins long, and are cut as shown 
in Fig. 413. The end projections a are \ in. long, and 
the cut-away part is exactly half the depth of the wood. 
Two of the three pieces (X and Y in Fig. 413) are similar. 



Q 



Trov^f 



i^£ VI\ 



LL 



m. 



Fig. 413. — ^The Central Bars. 

but the slot h of the third one Z is only J in. wide instead 
of i in. As will be noticed, this J-in. slot is not in the 
centre, but corresponds with the right-hand half of the 
larger slots of X and Y. 

In making these twenty-one pieces, what should be 
borne in mind is that the different parts fit closely into 
each other. Consequently the slots, in width, must be 
cut so as to grip the thickness of the wood ; in depth they 
must be exactly half this thickness. 



FITTING THE PUZZLE. 

In fitting up the puzzle, the three central bars must 
first be joined, as those form the skeleton framework of 
the article. Fig. 414 shows them in position, but as it is 

189 



Joints in Woodwork 



a puzzle in itself as to how they can be got thus some 
explanation is necessary. 

First Stage. — First take the bars X and Y (see Fig. 413) 
and arrange them as shown in Fig. 415. It is most impor- 
tant that the projections a of X face upwards, and that 
the projections a of Y face towards the centre. Then take 
the bar Z and bring it flat into the slot of X. The httle 




Fig. 



414. — ^The Three Central 
Bars in Position. 



Fig. 415. — How to Adjust the 
Bars. (Note position cf 
projecting ends, a.) 

slot of Z, however, must remain above the slot of X. Then 
slide the bar Y along to the centre, so that the part lettered 
sUps into the little slot of bar Z. 

This may seem confusing to read, but it is easy to follow 
when the pieces are in one's hand. The result of this rather 
clever arrangement is that the six arms of Fig. 414 are all 
exactly the same length, width, and thickness. They 
are also arranged so that in each arm may be clasped one 
piece each of Figs. 409, 410, and 411. The three central 
arms may, of course, be set up in a different order, and here . 
we have merely chosen the way that is the most simple to 
describe and iUustrate. 

190 



Puzzle Joints 

Second Stage. — In the remaining part of the work the 
chief difficulty is to keep the puzzle from falUng to pieces 
before the key finally locks it. Take the longer cross 
parts. Fig. 409, and clasp one to each arm. The six need 
not all be put on meanwhile, but only those which are 
most easily handled. The next size (Fig. 410) may then 
be put on. 





Fig. 417. — Placing the Key 
Piece to overlap end pro- 
jection of Central Bar. 



Fig. 416. — Beginning to place 
on the Cross Pieces. 



In the ordinary course each arm could be completed 
with its three cross pieces till the sixth was attempted, 
and here the reader would find that, at the last moment, 
his attempt was frustrated. He could not get the last 
small piece in, as other bars lock the puzzle, j Here it is 
that the " key " comes in. 



THE KEY PIECE. 

When the writer fits up the puzzle he finds that three 
of the arms may straight away be fitted complete with 
their three cross parts. | These are the ones where the 
longer cross piece (Fig. 409) lies flush with the hack of the 

191 



Joints in Wooawork 

central bar (see Fig. 416). This is easily found out when 
at work on the puzzle. In the case of the other three arms 
there is, of course, a gap caused by the long slots of the 
central bars. Adjust the parts on the first-named three 
arms, and then deal with the fourth arm, putting in all 
three cross parts. For the little one here, use the 
" key." 

Inserting the Key. — By placing the " key " so that it 
overlaps the end projection of the arm (see Fig. 417) a space 
is left at the centre, and means is thus afforded for getting 
in the three cross parts on the remaining two arms. 

Turning the Key. — ^This practically ends the puzzle. 
While the " key " is in its overlapping position the parts 
may be separated, but if it is turned round on its narrow 
neck, so that it is in exactly the same position as the other 
five small cross parts, it locks the whole thing so tightly 
that nothing but sheer force could loosen the twenty-one 
pieces. 

So far as the order of putting together is concerned, 
there are many equally satisfactory ways, these being 
determined by the ease or difficulty that one experiences 
in holding the half-finished puzzle. It all comes to the 
same in the end, and the " key " must be placed on one 
bar before the last three arms can be completed. The 
" key," moreover, must be on one of the bars where a 
gap is left at the centre, and not on one where Fig. 409 
lies flush against the central arm as in Fig. 416. 



UNDOING THE PUZZLE. 

To take the puzzle to pieces all that is required is to 
turn the " key " half round and push the other two cross 
bars on that arm towards the outer point. The cross bars 
below may then be removed, and the whole structure falls 
to pieces. 

192 



Puzzle Joints 

A CURIOUS DOVETAIL JOINT. 

Fig. 418 represents two blocks of wood, 2^ ins. square, 
dovetailed together. All four sides are the same, and at 




Fig. 418. Fig. 419. 

Puzzle Dovetail Joint. 

193 



Joints in Woodwork 




Sketch of Dovetail Piece. 



zv\ 



Front Elevation. 



Back Elevation. 






Plan, looking upwards. 




The Finished Puzzle Joint. 

Fig. 420. — Dovetail Puzzle Joint. 

194 



Pttzzle Joints 

a first glance it would be said that such a joint could 
neither be put together not taken apart. 

The illusion, however, is obvious when Fig. 419 is 
examined. This shows the two pieces apart. The joint 
is a sham dovetail. The upper part is not fitted into the 
lower from above, but the lower piece merely slips into 
the other /row the side. 

To make the puzzle well, very neat work is required, 
and it will be easier working with wood not less than 
2 ins. square. Take two blocks of wood, say 2J ins. square 
and about 5 ins. long. Let one piece be dark and the other 
light. If there is this contrast in colour the puzzle will 
be more interesting. Plane all four sides and see that the 
ends are true and clean. 

First take the lower block, and on the top and four 
sides mark carefully the exact positions of the dovetails. 
If the wood used is 2} ins. square these dovetails may be 
2 ins. long, ij in. wide at the top, and f in. wide at the 
neck. Saw carefully and pare away the waste wood with 
the chisel. The upper block, which must of course fit the 
lower one exactly, is then marked and cut. 



DOVETAIL PUZZLE JOINT. 

The dovetail puzzle joint illustrated at Fig. 420 has 
perhaps caused more argument and controversy amongst 
woodworkers than any wooden joint. It may be neatly 
made in yellow pine or mahogany, and afterwards glued 
up. The question everyone asks is : How was it put 
together ? The sketches show reverse and obverse sides, 
and also a sketch of the dovetailed piece which fully 
explains its solution. The puzzle may, of course, be made 
any convenient size — say, out of timber 2 ins. wide by 
if ins. thick. 

195 



Joints in Woodwork 



EASTERN JOINT PUZZLE. 

Below are illustrated two methods of making a simple 
little puzzle which was introduced into this country some 
years ago. Take a piece of straight-grained timber, about 
28 ins. long (birch answers splendidly) and plane it up to 
exactly J in. square. Now cut and make it into six blocks, 
as shown at Fig. 422. The sizes of the various slots in 




Fig. 421. — Eastern Puzzle. 



the blocks are respectively i in., f in., \ in., and J in. 
Arrange the pieces so as to form the completed puzzle, as 
shown at Fig. 421. 

Fig. 423 shows another method of slotting the blocks 
which will give the same result. Note, however, that 
piece 6 in both Fig. 422 and Fig. 423 is left square, no slots 
being required, owing to the fact that this is the key-piece 
and is fitted into position last of all. 

This is an interesting puzzle and easy to make ; at the 
first attempt it took the writer exactly sixty-five minutes 
to place the pieces in their correct position. 

196 



Puzzle Joints 




6 



Fig. 422. Fig. 423. 

Alternative Methods of Making the Puzzle. 

A MORTISING PUZZLE. 

The ordinary mortising exercise is, after the first two 
or three attempts, generally voted as uninteresting, but, 
although the simple puzzle shown in Figs. 424, 425, and 426 
is practically an exercise in mortising, yet, forming as it 
does a puzzle, it becomes a fascinating piece of work. 

197 



Joints in Woodwork 

The puzzle is composed of three pieces of wood, each 
4 ins. long, i} ins. wide, and \ in. thick. In each piece 
a mortise ij ins. by \ in. should be cut as shown at i. 







lb 




1 » 

Fig. 424. — ^The Three Parts. 



Fig. 424. In one piece, marked 2, a groove is cut on one 
side, f in. wide, and in another piece 3 a similar slot, 
but i in. wide, is cut, and this is continued on the other 




Fig. 425. — How to Cut the Parts. 

side of the groove to a depth of \ in. The three pieces 
should be set out on a 13-in. by ij-in. by J-in. length of 
wood, as shown at Fig. 425, and when ready sawn apart. 

The puzzle is put together as shown at Fig. 426. In 
the first place, hold No. i piece upright as shown at A, 
then take No. 2 piece with slot uppermost and push it 
through the opening in No. i piece until the nearest side 

198 



■A 



Puzzle Joints 

of the slot projects J in. as indicated at B. Next place 
No. 3 piece on with the slot at the back as shown at C, 
and push it down until it touches the bottom of the opening 
in No. 2 piece as illustrated at D. The only thing to do 
now is to push No. 2 piece as far as it will go to make the 
figure as shown at £. 




Fig. 426. — How to Put Together. 

In this puzzle the parts should fit together fairly tight, 
but should not be too stiff. 



SIX-PIECE JOINT PUZZLE. 

Fig. 427 illustrates a six-piece puzzle joint, similar in 
some respects to Fig. 421, but in this case the pieces 
B. C, D, E and F asre cut sHghtly different. Both a back 
and front view of the piece D is shown for clearness of 
illustration. The method of assembling the pieces is as 
follows: — Hold piece B upright, and fit piece D across; 

199 



Joints in Woodwork 

at the same time note that the small x marks are opposite 
each other Take piece E and, holding it as shown, slide 
it up the piece B (see arrow) until E engages with D and 




Fig. 427. — Six-piece Joint Puzzle. 

the small marks are opposite each other. Piece C is 
now fitted behind D, and then piece F will slide in position 
and push downwards. The key-piece A is now put in 
position, and the puzzle is completed. 



200 



INDEX 



Air-tight joints, ii6 

Alignment in hingeing, 94 

American white wood, 121 

Angle, bridle joint at, 38 

Angle butt joint, 5 

Angle dovetail keying, 129, 130 

Angle dovetailing, 131, 132 

Angle halved joint, 25 

Angle iron, buttoning with, 164 

Angle, oblique, bridle joint, 29, 

30 
Angles of dovetails, 118 
Angle, right, for mitreing, 177 
Architrave mould, hinge clearing, 

109, no 
Astragal, brass, 112, 113 
Astragal, rebated, 112 
Awl, marking, 88, 123, 138 
Awl, marking, using for dove- 
tails, 137 

Back flap hinge, 99, 100 
Bagatelle hinge, 99 
Barefaced tenon, haunched, 55 
Barefaced tenon joint, 53 
Barred door joints, 44, 45 
Barrow wheel, halved joints on, 

16, 17 
Battening, 167, 168 
Beaded match-boarding, 40 
Beam (tie) and rafter joint, 162 
Beam, tie, bridle joint for, 29, 30 
Beam, tie, joint 63, 64 
Bearer rail, dovetailed, 131 
Bed joint, dovetail plate, 164, 

165 
Beechwood dowels, 78 
Bevel, joiner's, 21, 38, 145 
Bevelled dovetail half-lapped 

joint, 17 
Bevelled dovetailing, 131, 132 
Bevels for dovetails, setting 

out, 119 
Birdsmouth joints, 162, 163 
Bit, block for twist, 85.. 
Bit, rose, 80, 81 



Bit, twist, 81 

Blind lap-dovetailing, 127 

Block for twist bit, 85 

Block, guide, for bevelling in 

dovetail grooving, 146 
Block, sawing, for mitreing, 179 
Blocking, glue, 159, i6o 
Boarding, match, 39 
Boards, battening drawing, 167, 

168 
Boards, clamping drawing, 66 
Boards, dowelled, ready for 

glueing, 82 
Boards, flooring, 39 
Boards, joining weather, 153 
Boards jointed with steel fas- 
teners, 173 
Bolection mould, 63 
Bolts for scarf joint, 92 
Bookcase shelf joints, 166, 167 
Boring for dovetails, 122 
Boring waste for bridle joint, 33 
Box, hinge-bound, 93 
Box, laminated core, 152 
Box lid, hingeing, 97 
Boxes, dovetail keying for 168, 

169 
Boxes, dovetailing small, 132, 

133 
Boxes, dovetails for, 118 
Boxes, dovetails for small, 129, 

130 
Boxes, dowelling rough, 77, 78 
Boxes, knife, dovetailing, 131 
Brace, 79, 88 

Brace, oblique bridle joint for, 28 
Bracket, slot screwing a, 165, 

166 
Brass astragal, 112, 113 
Bridle joint at angle, 38 
Bridle joint for frame (open slot 

mortise and tenon), 28, 29, 38 
Bridle joint for truss, 29 
Bridle jpint, frame with, 36 
Bridle joint, mitre, 28 
Bridle joint, oblique, 28 



201 



Index 



Bridle joint, oblique angle, 29, 30 
Bridle joint, setting out and 

marking, 30 
Bridle joint, simple, 27, 31 
Bridle joint, stopped, 28, 29 
Bridle Joint, The, 27-38 
Bridle jointed leg, 27 
Bridle joints, boring waste for, 

33 
Bridle joints, chiselling, 34, 37 
Bridle joints, cutting the shoul- 
ders, 35 
Bridle joints, frame with, 28 
Bridle joints, gauging for, 31 
Bridle joints, sawing, 33 
Bureau, hingeing fall front of, 

103 
Butt hinge, 93, 95 
Butt hinge, rising, 99, 100 
Butt hinges, fitting, loi, 102 
Butt joint, I 
Butt joint, angle, 5 
Butt joint for counters, 169, 

170 
Butt jointing counter tops with 

dovetail keys, 164 
Buttoning, 164 

Buttoning with angle iron, 164 
Buttons (or pateras), turned, 

for screw fixtures, 155 

Cabinet, china, 108 
Cabinet joints, tongued, 41 
Cabinet top with glued joint, 9 
Cabriole leg, dowelling, 87 
Caddies tea, housed and mitred, 

joint, for, 128 
Canvas painting frames, 171, 172 
Cap, dowelling, 86 
Carcase end and bearer rail, 

dovetailed, 131 
Carcase end, lap -dovetailing 

wardrobe top to, 131, 132 
Card table hinge, 99, 100 
Carpentry tie joint, 19 
Castor pins, 158 
Cellarette partition joints, 19, 20 
Centre or pivot hinges, 98, 99, 

xoo 



Chair and table legs, jointing 

broken, 158 
Chalk, 2 
Channel at shoulder of tenon, 

cutting, 72 
Channel, cutting for dovetailing, 

124, 125 
Channel, paring for dovetail 

grooving, 145 
China cabinet, 108 
Chinese puzzle joint, 187 
Chisel, the, 21, 23, 35, 72, 73, 74, 

80, 81, 121, 122, 125, 145 
Chisel, using for dovetailing, 135, 

136 
Chiselling bridle joints, 34, 37 
Circular fronted work, dove- 
tailed, 130, 131 
Circular jointing, marking seg- 
ments for, 149, 150 
Circular rim in halved segments, 

150, 151 
Circular work, joints for. 149 
Circular work, putting together, 

150. 
City and Guilds, 170 
Clamping, 66 
Close joint hingeing, no 
Cogged joint, 161 
Columns, jointing wood, 159 
Combing or locking joint, 45 
Coopered joints, 170, 171 
Core box, laminated, 152 
Corner dovetail, 134 
Corner joint, halved, 12 
Corner jointing, glued, 5 
Corner joints, tongued 45, 46 
Cornice or plinth secured with 

steel fasteners, 175 
Cornice pole, finial for, 153, 154 
Cornice pole, method of dowel- 
ling, 83 
Cornice poles, hinged joint for, 

156 
Cornices, blind lap-dovetailing 

for, 127 
Corrugated steel fasteners, 172 
Counter tops, butt jointing with 
dovetail keys, 164 



202 



Index 



Counters, butt joint for, 169, 170 

Cradle, dowelling, 78, 79 

Cradle for planing, 42 

Cramp, 148 

Cross framing joint, 167, 168 

Cross halving joint, 15, 18 

Cross halving joint with housed 
shoulders, 19 

Cross rail and stile, framed, 56 

Cross rail and upright halved 
joint, 19 

Cross tongues, 41, 42, 43, 50 

Crush feet, 158 

Cupboard door shutting joints, 
III, 113 

Cupboard doors, curved, shut- 
ting joint for, 113 

Cupboard, medicine, joints, 62 

Curved mitres, 183, 184 

Curved work, dovetailed, 130, 

131 
Curved work, hingemg, 94 
Curved Work, Joints for, 

149—152 
Cutting gauge, 120, 133, 134 
Cutting gauge for dovetailing, 

120 
Cutting gauge, how to use for 

dovetails, 134 
Cutting the recess for hinges, 95, 

96 

Desk hinge, 99 

Desk, joint for roll top, 161, 162 

Desk top, clamping, 66 

Dining-table leaf, dowelling a, 84 

Dining-table leg and framing, 
dowelling, 86, 87 

Dining-table slide joint, 159 

Donkey's ear shooting board, 181 

Door, barred, joints for, 44, 45 

Door, cupboard, shutting joints, 
III, 113 

Door frame, building up semi- 
circular head of, 151, 152 

Door frame joints, 55 

Door frame, mitreing a moulded, 
186 

Door with curved mitres, 183 



Doors, hinge-bound, 93, 94, 96 
Doors, hingeing at an angle, 100, 

lOI 

Doors, inside hingeing of, loi 
Doors, outside hingeing of, 102, 

103 
Doors, screw-bound, 94 
Doors, shutting joint for curved, 

"3 
Doors, stop-bound, 93, 94 
Double folding or reversible 

screen hinge, 98, 99 
Double- tenoned scarf joint, 90, 

91 
Dovetail and wedged tenon, 62 
Dovetsul (bevelled) half -lapped 

joint, 17 
Dovetail, corner, 134 
Dovetail for boxes, 118 
Dovetail Grooving, 145 — 148 
Dovetail grooving, bevelling 

guide block for, 146 
Dovetail halving, 13 
Dovetail halving, oblique, 14 
Dovetail halving, stopped, 14, 

15 
Dovetail, housed and mitred, 128 
Dovetail joint, curious puzzle, 

193 
Dovetail joint, mitred, 128 
Dovetail joint, possible origin 

of, 117 
Dovetail joint, setting out and 

marking the, 132 
Dovetail joint, squaring, 134 
Dovetail Joint, The, 117 — 

144 
Dovetail joints, glueing, 144 
Dovetail joints in framing, 127 
Dovetail keying, 129, 130 
Dovetail keying for boxes, 168, 

169 
Dovetail kejrs, butt jointing 

counter tops with, 164 
Dovetail (lap) pins, roughing in, 

122 
Dovetail pins, 120 
Dovetail pins, marking, 133, 135 
Dovetail pins, sawing, 143 



203 



Index 



Dovetail plates for bed joints, 

164, 165 
Dovetail puzzle, 194, 195 
Dovetail saw, 96, 124, 144 
Dovetail tongue and groove 

joint, 41 
Dovetail, with halved joint, 14 
Dovetailed and halved joints, 16, 

17 
Dovetailed bearer rail, 131 
Dovetailed curved work, 130, 

131 
Dovetailed footstool, 130 
Dovetailed halved joint (one 

side) 14 
Dovetailed halving joint for 

lengthening timber, 15, 16 
Dovetailed scarf joint, 89, 90 
Dovetailed stretcher rail, 127, 

130 
Dovetailed tee halving joint, 15, 

16 
Dovetailing, angle or bevelled, 

131, 132 
Dovetailing, blind lap, 127 
Dovetailing, chisel work, 135, 

136 
Dovetailing, cutting channel for, 

124, 125 
Dovetailing drawers and boxes, 

139 
Dovetailing jewel drawer, 131, 

132 
Dovetailing, lap, 118 
Dovetailing, lap, blind, 127 
^Dovetailing, lap, drawer fronts, 

141 
Dovetailing, lap, wardrobe top, 

131. 132 
Dovetailing, oblique, 131, 133 
Dovetailing — removal of waste, 

124, 125 
Dovetailing template, 135, 136 
Dovetailing, through, 117, 141 
Dovetails, angles of, 118 
Dovetails, boring for 122 
Dovetails, cutting several at 

once, 125, 126 
Dovetails, frame, 125, 126, 127 



Dovetails, gauging for, 119, 135 

Dovetails, marking with saw 
blade, 123, 

Dovetails, method of marking 
with cutting gauge, 120 

Dovetails, sawing, 123, 138 

Dovetails, setting out bevels for, 
119 

Dovetails, squaring, 119 

Dovetails, using marking awl for, 
320 

Dowel gauge for legs, 86, 87 

Dowel, method of making, 77 

Dowel plate, steel, 78 

Dowel rounder, 80, 81 

Dowel screw, 154, 159 

Dowel with groove, 79 

Dowelled boards ready for glue- 
ing, 82 

Dowelled joints, various appli- 
cations of, 83 

Dowelling a cabriole leg, 87 

Dowelling a mitred frame, 84 

Dowelling a shaped rail, 85 

Dowelling a table leaf, 84 

Dowelling a washstand pedi- 
ment, 88 

Dowelling caps, 86 

Dowelling cradle, 78, 79 

Dowelling for moulded frame, 86 

Dowelling for turned pillar, 86 

DowelUng, frame 84, 85 

Dowelling Joint, The, 77 — 88 

Dowelling, marking and gauging 
boards for, 81, 82 

Dowelling packing cases, etc., 
77» 78 

Dowelling, probable origin of, 77 

Dowelling table leg to framing, 
86, 87 

Dowelling thick timber, 82 

Dowels, beechwood, 78 

Dowels, cradle for planing, 78, 79 

Dowels, glueing, 82 

Dowels, good and bad, 80 

Dowels, iron, 77 

Dowels, length of, 82 

Dowels, making, 78 

Dowels, method of grooving, 79 



204 



Index 



Dowels, spacing, 8i 
Draught preventer, 115 
Draught screens, hingeing, 104 
Drawbore pinning, 63, 64 
Drawer bottom joint, 167, 168 
Drawer (cellarette) partition 

joints, 19, 20 
Drawer front, lap-dovetailing, 

141 
Drawer, glueing plough-slip to, 

Drawer, jewel, dovetailing, 131, 

132 

Drawer joint, dust proof, 114 
Drawer making {st$ dovetail 

joint) 
Drawer runner, groove in, 43 
Drawer sides, marking for, 122 
Drawers and boxes, dovetailing, 

139 
Drawers, dressing table chest of, 

140 
Drawers, example of table with 

four, 144 
Drawers, sawing dovetail pins of, 

143 
Drawing boards, battening, 167, 

168 
Drawing boards, clamping, 66 
Dreadnought file, 66, 67 
Dressing glass, tongued-joint 

for, 46, 47 
Dressing table chest of drawers, 

140 
Dressing table, part carcase of, 

44 
Drop leaf of table, fly rail for, 104 
Drop table, kitchen, 17 
Dust-proof drawer joint, 114 

Eastern joint puzzle, 196 
End of timber, halved joint at, 
26 

Fall front of writing bureau, 

hingeing, 103 
Fasteners, corrugated steel, 172 
Feather tongues, 41, 49, 50 
Feet, crush, 158 



Fencing, joint for, 59 

File, dreadnought, 66, 67 

Finger joint hinge, 106 

Finial for cornice pole, 153, 154 

Fished joint (scarf), 91, 92 

Flake white, 2 

Flap, back, hinge, 99, loo 

Flooring joints, 39 

Fly rail (revolving) for table, 

104 
Food troughs, dovetailing, 131 
Footstool, dovetailed, 130 
Fox wedged tenon, 62, 63 
Frame, building up semi-circular 

head of door, 151, 152 
Frame, circular, jointing, 149 
Frame dovetails, 125, 126, 127 
Frame, dowelling, 84, 85 
Frame, dowelling a mitred, 84 
Frame, dowelling for moulded, 

85, 86 
Frame, garden, joint, 156, 157 
Frame, haunched tenon joint for 

garden, 58 
Frame jointed with steel fas- 
teners, 173 
Frame, keyed picture, 156, 157 
Frame, laminated table, 152 
Frame, lining up a glass, 7 
Frame (^Oxford) halved joints, 

20, 21 
Frame, pelleting a, 156, 157 
Frame (window) moulded sash 

bar tenon joint for, 63, 64 
Frame with bridle joint, 28, 

36 
Frame with halved joint, 11 
Frames for oil paintings, 171, 

172 
Framing, bevelled with mitred 

moulding, 182, 183 
Framing, dovetail joints in, 127 
Framing, inside joint for, 55 
Framing joint, cross, 167, 168 
Framing joint, mortise and 

tenon, 55 
Framing, saddle joint for, 161 
Framing, table (tenon joint), 64, 

65 



205 



Index 



Garden frame, haunched tenon 

joint for, 58 
Garden frame joint, 58, 156, 157 
Gate joint, tenon, 57 
Gauge, cutting, 133, 134 
Gauge, cutting, how to use for 

dovetailing, 120, 134 
Gauge, dowel, for legs, 86, 87 
Gauge, marking, the, 21, 23, 31, 

68 
Gauge, mortise, 71 
Gauge, using the marking, 23 
Gauging and marking for dowels, 

81, 82 
Gauging for a bridle joint, 31 
Gauging for dovetails, 119, 135 
Gauging for hingeing, impor- 
tance of, 93, 95 
Gauging for mitres, 181, 182 
Gauging for tenons, 54 
Girders, cogged joint for, 161 
Glue blocking, 159, 160 
Glued joint, application of the, 6 
Glued joint, display cabinet 

top with, 9 
Glued joint, supporting, 2 
Glued Joint, The, i — 10 
Glued joints, arrangement of 

timber for, 4 
Glued joints, cramping, 2, 3 
Glued joints, testing the, 3 
Glued joints, their method of 

work, 4 
Glueing dowels, 82 
Glueing for glued joints, 1 
Groove, housing, 166 
Groove in drawer runner, 43 
Grooved and Tongued Joint 

(5«e Tongued and Grooved 

Joint). 
Grooved dowels, 79 
Grooves, cutting with plane, 49 
Grooving, Dovetail, 145 — 148 
Guide block for bevelling in 

dovetail grooving, 146 

Half lap scarf joint, 89, 90 
Half-lapped bevelled dovetail 
joint, 17 



Half mitre, a, 178 

Halved and dovetailed joints, 

16, 17 
Halved corner joint, 12 
Halved joint, angle, 25 
Halved joint at end of timber, 26 
Halved joint, chiselling, 23 
Halved joint for cross framing, 

167, 168 
Halved joint, how to mark out 

the, 22 
Halved Joint, The, i i — 26 
Halved joint with double dove- 
tail, 14 
Halved joint with one side 

dovetailed, 14 
Halved joints for Oxford frame 

20, 21 
Halved joints (manual training 

exercise) 18, 19 
Halved joints on barrow wheel, 

16, 17 
Halved joints, sawing, 24 
Halved joints, tools used for 

making, 21 
Halved moulded joint, 17, 18 
Halved tee joint, 12 
Halved tee joint, dovetailed, 

15. 16 
Halved (upright) and cross rail 

joint, 19 
Halving, cross, joints, 15 
Halving, dovetail, 13 
Halving joint, cross, 18 
Halving joint, cross, with housed 

shoulders, 19 
Halving joint, (dovetailed) for 

lengthening timber, 15, 16 
Halving, mitred, 13 
Halving, oblique, 12, 13 
Halving, oblique dovetail, 14, 15 
Halving, oblique, with shoulder, 

12. 13 
Halving, stopped, dovetail, 14, 

15 
Hammer, the, 26 
Hammer head tenon, 65 
Handscrew, 148 
Hanging, close joint, no 



206 



Index 



Hanging, inside, loi 
Hanging, open joint, 109 
Hanging, outside, 103 
Haunch on cross rails, 68, 70 
Haunch on twin tenons, 64, 65 
Haunched barefaced tenon, 55 
Haunched tenon, 54. 
Haunched tenon joint, 56, 58 
Haunched twin tenons, 64, 65 
Haunching, removing, 74 
Haunching with groove above, 

76 
Hinge, back flap, 99, 100 
Hinge, bagatelle, 99 
Hinge-bound doors, 93, 94, 96 
Hinge, butt, 93, 95 
Hinge, card table, 99, 100 
Hinge clearing architrave mould, 

109, no 
Hinge, desk, 99 
Hinge, finger joint, 106 
Hinge, knuckle joint, 107 
Hinge, pivot, 98, 99, 100 
Hinge, rising butt, 99, 100 
Hinge strap, 98, 99 
Hinged joint for cornice poles, 

156 
Hinged Joint, The, 93 — no 
Hinged joints, stopped, 97 
Hingeing, alignment in, 94 
Hingeing at an acute angle, 100, 

lOI 

Hingeing box lid, 97 
Hingeing, close joint, no 
Hingeing curved work, 94 
Hingeing draught screens, 104 
Hingeing, gauging for, 93, 95 
Hingeing, inside, loi 
Hingeing, open joint, 109 
Hingeing, outside 102, 103 
Hingeing shape-fronted work, 

94 
Hinges, cutting recess for, 95, 

96 
Hinges, fitting butt, 10 1, 102 
Hinges, marking for, 95 
Hinges, paring for, 96, 97 
Hinges, position for, 96 
Hinges, screen, 98 



Hinges, tape or webbing, for 

draught screens, 105, 106 
Hinges, various, 99 
Hook joint, 113, 114 
Hoppers, dovetailing, 131 
Horn, the, on stiles, 56, 69 
Housed and mitred dovetail, 

128 
Housing joint, 166 
Housing, stopped, 166, 167 

NSERTED tenons, 66 

nside hingeing, 10 1 

Ton angle, buttoning with, 164 

ron dowels, 77 

Ton nuts for scarf joints, 92 

ACK-PLANE, the, 4 

apanese mitred tenon joint, 171 

apanese tenon joint, 59 

arrah, 39 

ewel drawer side, dovetailing, 

131, 132 
ig, dowelling {see Cradle) . 
oggle tenon {see Stub Tenon) . 
oiner's bevel, 21, 38, 145 
oining rustic woodwork, 154 
oining weather boarding, 153 
oint, angle butt, 5 
oint, butt, for Counters, 169, 

170 
oint, cogged, 161 
oint, combing or locking, 45 
oint, cross framing, 167, 168 
oint, cross halving, 18 
oint, dovetail halved, 13 
oint, dovetail plate bed, 164, 

165 
oint, dust proof drawer, 114 
oint, finger, 106 
oint, fished (scarf), 91, 92 
oint for fencing, 59 
oint for window sill, 115 
oint, halved, at end of timber, 

26 
oint, hook, 113, 114 
oint, housing, 16^ 
oint, Japanese tenon, 59 
oint, knuckle, 107 



207 



Index 



Joint, open slot mortise and 

tenon, 28, 29, 38 
Joint, rafter, 63, 64, 162 
Joint, rafter and tie beam, 162 
Joint, roll top desk, 161, 162 
Joint, saddle, 161 
Joint, tenon, for gate, 57 
Joint (tenon), moulded and 

mitred, 60 
Joint, twin tenon, 60 
Jointing broken turned work, 

157. 158 
Jointing (butt) counter tops 

with dovetail keys, 164 
Jointing with corrugated steel 

fasteners, 172 
Jointing with shooting-board and 

plane, 7, 8 
Joints, battening, 167, 168 
Joints, birdsmouth, 162, 163 
Joints, bookcase shelf, 166, 167 
Joints, Bridle, 27 — 38 

Curved Work, for, 149 — 

152 
Dovetail Grooving, 145 — 

148 
Dovetailed, 117 — 144 
DowELLED, 77 — 88 
Glued, i — 10 
Halved, ii — 26 
Hinged, 93 — no 
Miscellaneous, 153 — 176 
Mortise and Tenon, 53 — 

76 
Puzzle, 187 — 200 
Scarf, 89 — 92 
Shutting, hi — 116 
ToNGUED and Grooved, 
39—51 
Joints, buttoning, 164 
Joints, coopered, 170, 171 
Joints, dovetail keyed, 164 
Joints, halved (manual training 

exercise), 18, 19 
Joints, notched, 160, 161, 162 
Joints, scribing, 163 
Joists, cogged joint for, 161 
Joists, notched joints for, 160, 
161, 162 



Kerf, saw, 80 

Keyed picture frame, 156, 157 
Keyhole screwing, 165, 166 
Keying, dovetail, 129, 130 
Keying, dovetail, for boxes, 168, 

169 
Keying, veneer, 156, 157 
Keys (dovetail), butt jointing 

counter tops with, 164 
King post joint, 63, 64 
Kitchen drop table, 17 
Knife boxes, dovetailing, 131 
Knife, the marking, 21, 30, 35, 

69 
Knuckle joint hinge, 107 

Ladder rungs, 153 
Ladder sides, 153, 154 
Laminated core box, 152 
Laminated table frame, 152 
Laminated work, 7, 8 
Lamination, 151 
Lap-dovetail pins, roughing in, 

122 
Lap-dovetailing, 118 
Lap-dovetailing, blind, 127 
Lap -dovetailing, chipping waste 

of, 139, 141, 142 
Lap-dovetailing drawer fronts 

141 
Lap-dovetailing wardrobe top, 

131* 132 
Laths, winding, for glue jointing, 

4 
Lead, white, fixing tenon joints 

with, 67 
Leaf (drop) of table, fly rail for, 

104 
Leaf, table, with dowels, 84 
Leg (table) and framing, dowel- 
ling, 86, 87 
Leg (table), bridle-jointed to 

rail, 27 
Leg (table) fixing interior, 57 
Legs, dowel gauge for, 86, 87 
Legs, jointing broken table and 

chair, 158 
Lengthening timber, dovetailed 

halving joint for, 13, x6 



208 



Index 



Lid, hingeing box, 97 
Light-tight joints, 115 
Locking or combing joint 45 
Lepers, 159 

Mahogany, 6, 122 

Mallet, 26, 72, 73, 121 

Manual training joints (exercise) , 

14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 169, 171 
Maple, 39 
Marking and gauging for dowels, 

81.82 
Marking awl, 88, 123, 138 
Marking awl, using for dove- 
tails, 137 
Marking for hinges, 95 
Marking gauge, 23, 31, 68 
Marking knife, the, 21, 30, 35, 69 
Matchboading, 39. 40 
Matchboarding, beaded, 40 
Matchboarding, double dove- 
tailed and tongued, 40 
Matchboarding, double-tongued, 

40 
Matchboarding, vee'd, 40 
Medicine cupboard joints, 62 
Meeting stiles, 112 
Miscellaneous Joints, 153 — 

185 
Mitre, a half, 178 
Mitre bridle joint, 2 ^ 
Mitre Joint, The, 177 — 186 
Mitre joint, tongued and grooved, 

46 
Mitre trap, screw, 175 
Mitred and housed dovetail, 128 
Mitred and moulded joint 

(tenoned), 60 
Mitred dovetail joint, 128 
Mitred face tenon joint, 63 
Mitred frame, dowelling a, 84 
Mitred frame joints, wedging, 

171, 172 
Mitred halving, 13 
Mitred joint with steel fasteners, 

175 
Mitred moulding on bevelled 

framing, 182, 183 
Mitred shooting-board, 180 



Mitred skirting, 177 

Mitred tenon joint, Japanese, 

171 
Mitreing a moulded door frame, 

186 
Mitreing, finding right-angle for, 

177 
Mitreing, sawing block for 179 
Mitreing, template for, 185, 

186 
Mitreing, what it denotes, 177 
Mitres, curved, 183, 184 
Mitres, curved, setting out for, 

184 
Mitres, finding angles for straight, 

178, 179 
Mitres, gauging for, 181, 182 
Mitres, straight, 179 
Moulding, bevelled framing with 

mitres, 182, 183 
Mouldings, sawing for mitreing, 

179 
Mortise and tenon joint for 

inside framing, 55 
Mortise and tenon joint, open 

slot, 28, 29, 38 
Mortise and Tenon Joint, 

The, 53 — 76 
Mortise and tenon joints, light 

Japanese vase stands with, 52 
Mortise and tenon joints, set- 
ting out and making, 68 
Mortise and tenon, wheelwright's 

self-wedging, 62 
Mortise gauge, 71 
Mortise joint, slot, 65 
Mortise, removing waste of with 

chisel, 74 
Mortise with side removed, 75 
Mortising puzzle, 197, 198 
Mortising stiles, 72 
Mortising tool, 57 
Mortising, using chisel and mal- 
let for 73, 74 
Mould, bolection, 63 
Mould, double skirting, building 

up, 46 
Mould, hinge clearing architrave, 

109, 110 



j.w. 



209 



Index 



Moulded and mitred joint, 

(tenoned), 60 
Moulded frame, dowelling for, 

85.86 
Moulded joint, halved, 17, 18 
Moulded sash bar tenon joint, 

63.64 
Moulding glued on shelf, 3, 6 
Moulding, scribed, 163 

Nail, double-pointed dowelling, 

77 
Non -reversible screen hinge, 98, 

100 
Notched joints, 160, 161, 162 
Nuts, iron, for scarf joints, 92 

Oak, 39 

Oblique angle bridle joint, 29, 

30 
Oblique bridle joint, 28 
Oblique dovetail halving, 14 
Oblique dovetailing, 131, 133 
Oblique halving, 12, 13 
Oblique halving, with shoulder, 

12, 13 
Open joint hingeing, 109 
Open slot mortise, 65 
Open slot mortise and tenon 

joint, 28, 29, 38 
Outside hingeing, 102, 103 
Oxford frame hadved joints, 20, 

21 

Panel, pointing ogee-shaped, 

^Paring, 24, 25 
Paring for hinges, 9O, 97 
Partition joints, cellarette, 19, 20 
Patera covers for screw fixtures, 

155 
Pattern-making joints, 17 
Pediment, washstand, dowelling 

a, 88 
Pegs {see Dowels). 
Pelleting, 156, 157 
Pencil, the, 21 
Photographic " light-tight " 

joints, 115 



Piano-fall, building up case of, 

7. 8 
Picture frame, keyed, 156, 157 
Picture frame, pelleting a, 156, 

157 

Pillar, dowelling cap to, 86 

Pillars, jointing sideboard, 159 

Pine, I, 2 

Pinning, 60, 61 

Pinning, drawbore, 63, 64 

Pins, castor, 158 

Pins, dovetail, 120 

Pins, marking dovetail, 133, 135 

Pins, method of sawing dove- 
tail, 121 

Pins, sawing dovetail, 143 

Pins, steel, wire, 86 

Pivot hinge, 98, 99, 100 

Plane for making tongues and 
grooves, 41, 42 

Plane, jack, the, 4 

Plane, making tongues with, 49 

Plane, old woman's tooth, 147 

Plane, plough, 47, 48, 49, 112 

Plane, Stanley, 116 

Plane, trying, 4 

Plane, use of toothing, for glued 
joints, 2 

Planes for shutting joints, 116 

Planes, tongueing, 50, 51 

Planing, cradle for, 42 

Planing for glue jointing, 4 

Planing for mitred work, 181 

Planing grooves, 49 

Plank side of ladder, 154 

Plate, dowel, steel, 78 

Plates, dovetail, for bed joints, 
164, 165 

Plinth or cornice secured with 
steel fasteners, 175 ■ 

Plough plane, the, 47, 48, 49, ii2 

Plough slip, glueing to drawer, 

7.8 

Ploughing, 47 

Plugs, wall, 165 

Pocket screwing, 160 

Pole, cornice, method ol dowel- 
ling, 83 

Pole, finial for cornice, 153, 154 



210 



Index 



Pole side of ladder, 145 

Poles, cornice, hinged joint for 

156 
Post, dowelling cap to, 86 
Post, king, joint, 63, 64 
Post, upright, joint of rails to, 

60, 61 
Pounce-bag, 123 
Purlins, 90 

Purlins, cogged joint for, 161 
Puzzle, Eastern joint, 196 
Puzzle joint, Chinese, 187 
Puzzle joint, curious dovetail, 

193 
Puzzle joint, dovetail, 194, I95 
Puzzle Joints, 187 — 200 
Puzzle, mortising, 198 
Puzzle, six-piece joint, 199, 200 

Quartered timber, 5 

Queen Anne leg, dowelling, 87 

Rafter and tie beam joint, 

162 
Rafter, bridle joint for, 30 
Ratter, cogged joint for, 161 
Rafter joint, 30, 63, 64, 161, 162 
Rail and stile, framed, 56 
Rail (cross) and upright halved 

joint, 19 
Rail, dovetailed bearer, 131 
Rail, dovetailed stretcher, 127, 

130 
Rail, revolving fly, for table, 104 
Rails and stiles, setting out, 68 
Rails, tenon joint for wide and 

narrow, 66, 67 
Rails, top-, tenon joints to post, 

61 
Rebated astragal, 112 
Rebated shutting joint with 

tongue slip, 113, 114 
Recess for hinges, cutting and 

paring, 95, 96. 97 
Reversible or double-folding 

screen hinge, 98, 99 
Revolving fly-rail for table, 104 
Rising butt hinge, 99, 100 
Roll top desk fall joint, i6i, 162 



Roof joint (tie beam, king post 

and strut) 63, 64 
Roof scarf joint, 90 
Roof truss^ bridle joint for, 29, 

30 
Rose bit, 80, 81 
Rosewood, x 
Rounder, dowel, 8i 
Rubbed joints, i 
Rungs, ladder, 153 
Rustic woodwork, joining, 154 

Saddle joint, 161 

Sash bar (moulded) tenon, 63, 

64 
Satin walnut, 121 
Satinwood, 2, 122 
Saw, dovetail, 96, 124, 144 
Saw kerf, 80 
Saw, the tenon, 21, 33 
Saw, using for bridle joints, 34 
Sawing block for mitreing, 179 
Sawing dovetails, 138 
Sawing halved joints, 24 
Scantlings, notched joints for, 

160 
Scarf joint, double tenoned, 90, 

91 
Scarf joint, dovetailed, 89, 90 
Scarf joint, half lap, 89, 90 
Scarf joint, tenoned, 90, 91 
Scarf Joint, The, 89 — 92 
Scarf joint used in roof work, 90 
Scarf joint with vec'd ends, 91 
Scarf joints, iron nuts, bolts, and 

washers for, 92 
Screens, hingeing draught, 104 
Screens, hinges for, 98, 104 
Screw-bound door, 94 
Screw, double-pointed, 154, 159 
Screw, dowel, 154, 159 
Screw fixtures, patera covers for, 

155 
Screw mitre trap, 175 
Screwing, pocket, 160 
Screwing, slot or keyhole, 165, 

166 
Scribed and tenoned joint, 59, 

60 



211 



Index 



Scribing joints, 163 
Secretaire falls, clamping, 66 
Segments, circular rim in halved, 

150, 151 
Segments, marking for circular 

jointing, 149, 150 
Set-square, the, 4 
Shape-fronted work, hingeing, 

94 
Shaped rail, do welling a, 85 
Shed, post and rail joint for, 61 
She^ joints, bookcase, 166, 167 
Shelf slip-glued with hardwood. 

Shooting board, donkey's ear, 
181 

Shooting board, mitre, 180 

Shoulder, oblique halving joint 
with, 12, 13 

Shoulder of tenon, cutting chan- 
nel at, 71, 72 

Shoulder, tongued and grooved, 
tenon with, 64 

Shouldered tenon joints, 58 

Shoulders, cross halving joint 
with housed or notched, 19 

Shoulders, cutting bridle joint, 

35 
Shoulders, dovetailed halved 

joint with 16, 17 
Showcase joints, 116 
Shutting Joints, hi — 116 
Shutting joints, planes for, 116 
Sideboard, cottage, 174 
Sideboard pillars, jointing, 159 
Sideboard top, part of, with 

tongued joint, 4^ 
Skirting board, scribed, 163 
Skirting, mitred, 177 
Skirting mould, double, build- 
ing up, 46 
Skylight joint, 156, 157 
Skylight tenon (haunched) joint, 

58 
Slamming stile, 1 11 
Slaped joint, i 
Slide joint, dining-table, 159 
Slide, tee, 159 
Slipped joint, x 



Slot mortise joint, 65 

Slot (open) mortise and tenon 

joint, 28, 29, 38 
Slot screwing 165, 166 
Spandrel, jointing a shaped, 7, 8 
Spandrel, tongued joint for 

shaped, 43 
Sprocket wheel, 57 
Spruce, 77 
Square, the set, 4 
Square, the try, 21, 30, 38, 88 
Square, using the, 22, 23 
Stands, Japanese vase, with 

mortise and tenon joints, 52 
Stanley plane, 116 
Steel dowel plate, 78 
Steel fasteners, corrugated, 17a 
Steel wire pins, 86 
Sticks, twist, for glue-jointing, 4 
Stile and cross rail, framed, 56 
Stile, meeting, 112 
Stile, slamming, 1 1 1 
Stiles and rails, setting out, 68 
Stiles, mortising, 72 
Stop-bound door, 93, 94 
Stopped bridle joint, 28, 29 
Stopped dovetail halving, 14, 15 
Stopped hinged joints, 97 
Stopped housing, 166, 167 
Straight-edge, using, for glued 

joints, 3 
Straight mitres, 179 
Strap hinge, 98, 99 
Stretcher rail, dovetailed. 127, 

130 
Strut, oblique bridle joint for, 

28 
Strut (roof) joint 63, 64 
Stub tenon, 53, 54, 55 
Studs, bookcase, 166, 168 
Stump tenon, {ut Stub Tenon). 
Sycamore, 2 

Table and chair legs, jointing 

broken, 158 
Table (card) hinge, 99, lOO 
Table (dining) slide joint, 159 
Table (dressing) bearer rail, dove- 
tailed, 131 



212 



Index 



Table (dressing) chest of draw- 
ers, 140 
Table (dressing), part carcase of, 

44 
Table (drop), kitchen, 17 
Table frame, laminated, 152 
Table framing (tenon joint), 64, 

^^5 . . 

Table joint, 20 

Table leaf with dowels, 84 

Table leg and frame, dowelling, 

86,87 
Table leg, fixing interior, 57 
Table (occasional), with four 

drawers, 144 
Table, revolving fly rail for, 104 
Table top, buttoning a, 164 
Table top, writing, with tongued 

and grooved joints, 44 
Tambour front joint, 161, 162 
Tape hinges for draught screens, 

105, 106 
Tea-caddies, housed and mitred 

joint for, 128 
Teak, i 
Tee halving joint, dovetailed, 15, 

16 
Tee joint, halved, 12 
Tee slide, 159 

Template, dovetailing, 135, 136 
Template for dowelling, 83 
Template for mitreing, 185, i86 
Tenon and wedge, tusk, 61 
Tenon, barefaced, haunched, 55 
Tenon, cutting channel at shoul- 
der of, 72 
Tenon, drawbore-pinned, 63, 64 
Tenon, faulty, 59 
Tenon, fox wedged, 62, 63 
Tenon, hammer head, 65 
Tenon, haunched, 54, 55, 56, 58 
Tenon, haunched, for skylight or 

garden frame, 58 
Tenon joint, barefaced, 53, 55 
Tenon joint, Japanese, 59 
Tenon joint, Japanese mitred, 

171 
Tenon joint, mitred and moulded, 

60 



Tenon joint, mitred face, 63 
Tenon joint, moulded sash bar, 

63,64 
Tenon joint, twin, 60 64 
Tenon joint, wheelwright's self- 
wedging, 62 
Tenon joints, external and 

internal, 67, 68 
Tenon Joints {see Mortise and 

Tenon Joints). 
Tenon joints— setting out and 

making, 68 
Tenon joints, shouldered, 58 
Tenon joints, wedges for, 56 
Tenon saw, the, 21 
Tenon, stub, 53, 54, 55 
Tenon, tusk, 61 
Tenon, wedged and dovetailed, 

62 
Tenon with tongued and grooved 

shoulder, 64, 65 
Tenoned and scribed joint, 59, 

60 
Tenoned (double) scarf joint, 90, 

91 
Tenoned scarf joint, 90, 91 
Tenoning a wide and a narrow 

lail, 67 
Tenoning (pinning) 60, 61 
Tenons, inserted, 66 
Tenons, sav/ing, 70, 71 
Tenons, thickness of, 71 
Tenons, twin with haunch. 64, 

65 
Tie beam and rafter joint, 162 
Tie beam, bridle joint for, 29, 30 
Tie beam joints, 29, 30, 63, 64, 

162 
Tie joint, carpentry, 19 
Timber, arrangement of for 

glued joints, 4 
Timber, dovetailed halving joint 

for lengthening, 15, 16 
Timber, halved joint at end of, 

26 
Timber, heart side of in glued 

joints, 8, 10 
Timber, quartered, 5 
Toes, crush, 158 



213 



Index 



TONGUED AND GROOVED JOINT, 
39—51 

Tongued and grooved joint, 
applications of the, 42, 

Tongued and grooved joint, 
planes, for, 41, 42 

Tongued and grooved mitre 
joint, 46 

Tongued and grooved shoulder, 
tenon with 64, 65 

Tongued cabinetwork joints, 41 

Tongued coopered joints, 171 

Tongued corner joints, 45, 46 

Tongued joint for dressing glass, 

^ 46. 47 

Tongued joint for shaped span- 
drel, 43 

Tongued joint for sideboard top, 

43 
Tongueing planes, 50 
Tongues, cross, 41, 42, 43, 50 
Tongues, feather, 41, 49, 50 
Tongues, loose, 41, 42 
Tongues, making with plane, 49 
Tool, mortising, 57 
Tooth plane (old woman's), 147 
Trap, screw mitre, 175 
Trench, housing, 166 
Trestle joint, workshop, 19, 20 
Troughs, food, dovetailing, 131 
Truss, bridle joint for, 29, 30 
Try square, the, 21, 30, 38, 88 
Trying plane, the, 4 
Turned pateras for hiding screws, 

155 
Turned pillar, dowelling for, 86 
Turned work, jointing 157, 158 
Tusk tenon, 61 
Tusk tenon and wedge, 61 
Twin tenon joint, 60, 64 
Twin tenons with haunch, 64, 65 
Twist bit, 81 
Twist bit, block for, 85 
Twist sticks for glue jointing, 4 

Upright halved and cross rail 
joint, 19 

Varnish, uniting joint with, 67 



Vee-jointed matchboarding, 40 
Veneer keyed frame, 156, 157 
Veneer keying, 156, 157 
Vice, the, 23, 35, 80, 124, 125 



Wall plugs, 165 

Walnut, satin, 121 

Wardrobe top, lap -dovetailing, 
131. 132 

Washers for scarf joints, 92 

Washstand bearer rail, dove- 
tailed, 131 

Washstand pediment, dowelling 
a. 88 

Waste, boring, for bridle joints, 

33 
Waste, paring, 24, 25 
Weather boards, joining, 153 
Webbing hinges for draught 

screens, 105, 106 
Wedged and dovetail tenon, 62 
Wedged tenon joint, wheel 

Wright's, 62 
Wedged tusk tenon, 61 
Wedges, folding, for counter 

butt joints, 169, 170 
Wedges for scarf joints, 91 
Wedges for tenon joints, 56 
Wedging canvas frames, 171, 172 
Wheel, sprocket, 57 
Wheelbarrow, joints, 16, 17 
Wheelwright's self-wedging mor- 
tise and tenon joint, 62 
White lead, uniting tenon joints 

with, 67 
Whitewood, American, 121 
Winding laths for glue jointing, 4 
Window frame, moulded sash 

bar tenon joint for, 63, 64 
Window sill joint, 115 
Wire, steel, pins, 86 
Woodwork, joining rustic, 154 
Workbox, hingeing, 97 
Workshop trestle joint, 19, 20 
Writing bureau, hingeing fall 

front of, 103 
Writing table top with tongued 

and grooved joints, 44 



